Three Makes Family
by Freya2Xana
Summary: Prowl and Jazz have been happily sparkbonded for vorns but long for a family of their own. When a youngling suddenly crashes onto Earth and is rescued by the Autobots, they decide to adopt the little one and take on the roll(s) as creators. (AN: Feel free to read and review :D)
1. Chapter 1

"English"

::Comm. link::

_{Cybertronian}_

**[HUD notifications/scans]**

_::Bond conversations::_

:Speaker speech:

**"Intercom"**

_Memories/flashbacks/stasis_

_{:Ghost/apparition speech:}_

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just my OC.)**

Chapter 1

-Cybertron-

Smoke billowed from nearby craters leftover from recent attacks while buildings lay in ruins, crumbled and vacant. Bodies littered the streets as the sounds of war echoed throughout the city. A lone youngling nervously wandered through the chaos, hoping to find shelter for the night and maybe some energon to stave off her overwhelming hunger. Her tiny body was slowly deteriorating and becoming weaker and weaker as the days passed. She needed fuel if she hoped to make it through another night.

As if Primus was looking out for her, the tiny femme was driven to crawl through a small hole in a nearby building where upon entering, she spotted a broken energon dispenser lying against the wall. Miraculously, the dispenser still had energon inside, to which the tiny femme broke into it and hungrily drank the life sustaining fuel it provided her. She trembled as she felt a quake beneath her peds: the battle was getting closer to her location. Thinking quickly, she collected the remaining energon in a dispensing cube and placed it in her subspace for later consumption before exiting the building.

As she ran, she received a ping from her HUD notification, indicating that she would go into stasis lock if she didn't recharge soon. Panicked, she dashed towards the inner city limits and soon came across what looked to be a military base complete with a launch tower, ships and escape pods. Not wanting to risk getting caught, the youngling quietly made her way over towards one of the pods and climbed inside before it automatically sealed shut and encased her within. The tiny femme started to panic when she felt the pod launch into orbit, sending her rocketing towards a pre-programed destination before she fell into an induced stasis to pass the time and conserve energy. The last thing she remembered was seeing her home planet aglow with the fires of war before everything went black and darkness consumed her.

XXXXX

-Meanwhile on Earth-

Jazz sauntered over towards his sparkmate with a mischievous gleam in his optics, "Oh Prowler...according to the schedule, we have the entire afternoon off together. So what would you like to do first? I was hoping we could take a drive or maybe go back to the berth and relax…," he purred into his audio receptor while running a digit across his chassis.

Prowl emitted a content 'hmm' sound at his touch. He loved Jazz's playful and flirtatious attitude, but knew he could be commanding when the situation called for it. While Prowl was normally a stern, authoritative mech, he enjoyed these moments where he could drop the whole SIC persona and be free with his emotions. With all the other Autobots he was commanding and diligent, but with Jazz he was tender, loving and carefree. It was like all his troubles and stress melted away whenever they were together. With a handsome smile and a flit of his doorwings, Prowl gently pulled his sparkmate close and spoke in a low, sensual voice, "There's no point in going outside for a drive when we can increase our mileage here. I'd be more than happy to rev your engine if you don't mind a couple speed bumps along the way…" He gave Jazz a wink that sent the TIC's motor running.

"Oh officer, you can increase my mileage all ya want, so long as I can turn on your sirens."

"By all means…," he sensually growled before picking the smaller mech up and placing him upon the berth, to which he then began passionately kissing him.

Jazz moaned at the feeling of Prowl's glossa gliding along his frame. His back struts arched as he felt his dentas nibble the sensitive cables along his neck and shoulders, to which he slid his servos along Prowl's chassis and under his armor, feeling the sensitive protoform underneath. Prowl gasped as Jazz slid his servos down towards his groin plating and began to sensually rub his thighs and hips. The TIC lovingly smiled up at his sparkmate and feathered soft kisses along his neck cables before whispering, "Join sparks with me. I want to feel _all_ of you, Prowler."

With a nod, the SIC opened his chest plates and retracted the protective casing around his spark, revealing a luminous bluish white orb to his beloved, who in turn, did the same. Both sparks pulsated and reached out towards one another in an attempt to become one. Fulfilling their sparks' requests, both Prowl and Jazz became one with each other and spent the entire afternoon in sensual bliss.

XXXXX

-Later that night-

After several hours of intense interphasing and multiple overloads, both mechs ended up sprawled out along the berth, exhausted but content. Jazz laid against his sparkmate with an adoring smile across his face while his servo lightly rubbed over his own chassis, just beside where his spark rested underneath. Prowl glanced over at him and asked in a caring tone, "Something on your mind Jazz?"

*sigh* "It's nothin'...I was just thinkin' bout what it would be like for us to be creators…"

The SIC's optics softened at his mate: he knew Jazz longed for a sparkling. He too wanted to sire an offspring and start a family of their own, but with the war still waging, he knew now might not be the best time to have one. With a gentle squeeze to his servo, Prowl tenderly cupped Jazz's cheek and spoke in a soft tone, "If it's in Primus' power, you _will_ become a carrier someday, Jazz. I too desire to see you aglow with our creation nestled within your sparkling hold...but at the moment I'm content seeing you glow with the aftereffects of our joining," he winked causing the TIC's mouth to twitch up into a smile.

"Aw Prowler, ya makin' me blush."

"That's the idea," he smiled as he gently began kissing him while mentally praying to Primus to one day bless them with a sparkling.

XXXXX

-Months Later-

There was a rare but welcomed peace within the Ark as the Autobots went about their daily routine. Optimus, Prowl and Jazz were busy reading over reports on their data pads while Ironhide was focused on polishing his cannons. Wheeljack was busy improving his inventions in his laboratory while Ratchet was in the Med Bay taking stock of the supplies and jotting down what needed replenishing. All in all, it was a nice break from Decepticon activity.

While all this was happening, Blaster was monitoring Teletran-1 for any signs of Con activity or abnormalities in the solar system. His optics suddenly picked up on a small anomaly entering Earth's atmosphere. Upon closer inspection revealed it to be an escape pod! Shocked at the discovery, Blaster activated the intercom and addressed his fellow teammates. **"Attention Autobots, please report to the Communications Room immediately. We have a situation that requires immediate action."**

Within minutes, those who were within the Ark entered the communications room. "So why did you bring us all over here Blaster?" Bumblebee asked in a confused, yet curious tone.

He pointed towards the screen, "Look at the monitor and tell me what you see."

"It's a pod," Bluestreak exclaimed.

"But whose is it? Ours or the Decepticons?" Ironhide asked in a gruff voice.

"That I do not know as of yet, but by Teletran's calculations, it should land in the arctic circle within the next few minutes," the communications officer exclaimed while pulling up a map of its intended trajectory.

Optimus studied the map before speaking, "Autobots, we must reach this pod before the Decepticons learn of its existence and location. Ratchet, I need you to prepare the Med Bay in case the occupant within requires medical aid. Ironhide, Bumblebee, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, you all will accompany me to intercept the pod and provide defence should the Decepticons appear and attack. Blaster, I will need you to activate a ground bridge to the landing coordinates. Prowl, you're in charge until we return."

The SIC gave a nod in understanding while Blaster opened a ground bridge. "Autobots, Roll Out!" Prime stated as he transformed and entered the portal with his team following suit. Within seconds, they arrived at the predicted landing site and awaited for the pods arrival. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long: the small vessel suddenly appeared overhead and was quickly making its descent. With a loud *CRASH* the pod collided with the frozen Earth in a smoking crater. Optimus and Ironhide entered the crater while the twins and Bumblebee remained on guard in case the Cons decided to show up and attack.

Cautiously, the Autobot leader opened the sealed pod, revealing the sole occupant within: a youngling! She couldn't have been no older than six or seven vorns. Her frame was so small and coated in grease, ash and rust from severe malnourishment and poor health. Her optics were closed and her face was contorted in a sad expression, meaning her last moments of consciousness were not pleasant. Her limbs were covered in scorch marks, scratches and dried energon while one of her helm fins was cracked.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Optimus reached in and gently picked the tiny femme up and cradled her in his arms, keeping her warm against his frame as he and Ironhide exited the crater and approached the rest of their team. "So what was inside the pod?" Sideswipe curiously asked before his optics honed in on the tiny femme. "Holy Primus! Is that a youngling?! I thought Bee was the youngest of our race!"

Prime vented a sigh, "Apparently not, but we should discuss this back at base. She requires immediate medical attention." He then opened a Comm. link, ::Blaster, we intercepted the pod and retrieved its occupant. Send a ground bridge to our current location.::

Seconds later a portal appeared, to which Prime, Ironhide, the twins and Bumblebee entered and returned to the Ark with their new guest. Everyone present was shocked to see the tiny femme. None more so than Jazz: his spark instinctively tried to reach out towards the youngling and comfort her. "How did a younglin' manage to stow away on an escape pod?" He asked while following Optimus to the Med Bay.

The large mech shook his helm as he held the youngling against his chassis, keeping her tiny frame warm. "I do not know, but I pray to Primus that she survives." The group entered the Med Bay where Ratchet awaited them.

The CMO gave a shocked expression as he looked upon the small life in Prime's arms, "By the Allspark…I never thought I'd see another youngling. Optimus, place her on the berth. First Aid, get her hooked up to an I.V. and spark monitor while I address her condition and administer treatment."

He nodded and did as asked after Prime carefully placed the tiny femmling upon the berth and stepped aside to let the medics work. While most of the bots left the Med Bay, Jazz wanted to remain behind, but he was reluctantly pulled away by his sparkmate. His coding was demanding that he remain near the little femmling. Prowl also felt the urge to protect her, and though he didn't want to go against his coding, he knew the medics needed to work without distraction.

Reluctantly, he led Jazz out of the Med Bay and over to their room where upon entering, the TIC began to nervously pace around. "Oh Prowler, I can't stand the thought of that lil' femme sufferin' so…Primus knows what awful things she's been through and seen. Ma spark is telling me to care for an' comfort her...but I can't while she's stuck in the Med Bay."

*sigh* "I know...I felt a pull towards her too. Maybe after she recovers you and I can adopt her as our own creation...Provided she takes some time to adjust to her new surroundings and becomes familiar with everyone…" he was suddenly embraced by his sparkmate who tackled him onto the berth and was hugging him close.

"Oh thank you, Prowler! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jazz happily started to cry from under his visor before peppering his mate with kisses.

Prowl chuckled and returned Jazz's affections, to which they then spent the rest of the afternoon lost in each other's embrace.


	2. Chapter 2

(**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just my OC.)**

Chapter 2

**[Systems diagnostics complete]**

**[Condition: Stable, minor frame injuries, major nutrient deficiency]**

**[Helm: no processor damage. Left fin**:** mended, systems repairing]**

_{Where am I?}_ the little femme weakly asked in Cybertronian. She was unaware of her location or the fact that someone heard her question.

_{You're aboard the Ark, little one. Or more specifically, you're in the Ark's Med Bay.}_ A white and red medic bot approached her with a data pad in his servos and a gentle smile on his face. _{How are you feeling?}_

At first the medic startled her, but after noticing his insignia, she slowly started to calm down. _{You're an Autobot...right?}_

He nodded, {Correct._ Don't worry, everyone within this base is an Autobot. You're safe here.}_

For the first time in vorns, the little femme started to cry out of happiness. She sniffled as tears streamed down her cheeks while a smile graced her innocent face. _{Thank Primus…,}_ she rubbed her optics before slowly sitting up on the berth and glancing at the I.V. in her arm.

_{You're extremely malnourished and needed an energon I.V. to stabilize your systems until you awoke from stasis.}_ He gave a reassuring smile, _{Would you like me to remove it so you can properly consume some energon?}_

At the thought of curbing her hunger, the tiny femme nodded, _{Yes please...Doctor…}_

_{Ratchet,}_ he smiled before gently extracting the I.V. from her little arm. _{Might I ask your designation?}_

_{It's Filly...}_

_{Filly...that's a very nice designation for a femme. It suits you well.}_

_{Thank you, Ratchet. I like your designation too.}_

He smiled and handed her a cube of med-grade energon, to which she slowly and hungrily drank it. As Ratchet was about to Comm. Optimus for a status update on the new arrival, the Med Bay doors opened and Prowl walked inside with a neutral expression on his face and a kind look in his optics as he glanced at the tiny femme upon the berth. "Good evening Ratchet. How is our guest?"

The CMO gently removed the spark sensor from Filly's chassis before facing the SIC, "She's severely malnourished from lack of energon and her systems were in poor condition, but Jolt and I repaired the majority of the damage. Her nanites will have to take care of the rest. I also noticed that she has a small gap in her upper denta, probably a result of a past injury to her mouth plates. She seems more than relieved to be inside an Autobot base, so we can assume she's not a Con."

"That thought never crossed my processor." He looked over at the tiny femme and asked in a gentle voice, _{How are you feeling little one?}_

She tilted her helm at the new mech as her optics widened, _{You're Praxion!}_

He smiled and gave a nod, _{I am. I see you have some Praxion heritage in you as well.}_

The youngling nodded and flitted her small winglets, _{My Carrier was originally from Praxus while my Sire was from Kalis.}_ She happily smiled and asked, _{Are there other Praxion's here?}_

He nodded, {There_ are two others besides me. Their names are Smokescreen and Bluestreak. Would you like to meet them in a little while?}_

_{Oh yes, please…umm}_

He smiled at the youngling, _{My designation is Prowl. And you are?}_

_{Filly,}_ she grinned up at the Praxion before asking in a curious, little voice, _{What was that strange language you and Ratchet were speaking?}_

_{It's called English and it is the primary language used on this planet.}_

_{What **is** this planet?}_ She tilted her helm in an adorable manner, making both Prowl and Ratchet smile.

_{It's called Earth,}_ the CMO chimed in while performing a quick scan over her frame to ensure her systems were functioning and to see what percentage they were at.

_{Earth…,}_ she repeated. _{What a strange name for a planet.}_

_{It_ means_ dirt. This planet and its natives are organic.}_

Her optics widened, _{Really?! That's so strange.}_

At her response, Prowl emitted a slight chuckle, _{It is a bit strange at first, but after a while you'll get used to it. This planet is actually quite fascinating and beautiful.}_

_{I agree.}_ Ratchet stated, _{But there are many fascinating qualities to this planet.}_ He looked at the little femme and smiled, _{We've been able to access a well of information through Earth's World Wide Web. That is where we learned to communicate with the natives. I suggest you take a moment to look up Earth's languages. While no one on base will have any problems with you speaking Cybertronian, the Earthlings cannot understand our language. If we find ourselves having to make contact with the humans we need to be able to properly understand one another.}_

She gave a small nod, _{I guess that makes sense.}_ The young femme dimmed her optics for a moment before speaking in English, "Is this the correct Earth language to be using while among the natives?"

Prowl nodded, "It's the primary language used in this particular region of Earth. Every region has a unique language."

"Wow, there's so much variety. How do Earthlings communicate with one another if their languages are all different?"

"They adapt and educate themselves. Unlike us, they cannot simply look up a language and understand it. It takes time for them to learn a second or third language, but they're an adaptable species."

"Interesting. I would like to study these Earthlings sometime. For now, can I meet some of the other bots? I've been alone for so long...I miss having others to talk to…," she had a sad look in her optics.

"Of course. Would you like me to give you a tour of the base as well?"

"Oh yes, please." She smiled and her optics seemed to light up.

Ratchet cleared his vocalizer before speaking, "Yes, you may go with Prowl, but I must ask that you refrain from wandering off by yourself. The base is safe, but there are areas in which you shouldn't explore unattended...mainly the lab."

The SIC gave an understanding nod, "I'll see to it that she doesn't enter Wheeljack's domain without supervision."

"Please do. Now, before you take her sightseeing, she needs a bath. I believe Jazz can help you with that task," he gave him a knowing smile.

Prowl smirked and nodded before leading the tiny femmling out of the Med Bay and into the large hallway. Filly eagerly looked at her new surroundings with wide optics as she stayed close to Prowl. She barely came up to his shins, so she tried to keep up with his longer stride while ignoring the fact that she was so tiny in comparison to everything around her. Even a mini bot would be taller than her at this point in her development, but her size did have its advantages at times. As they walked, Filly looked up at the Praxion and asked, "Who's Jazz?"

He smiled as they made their way down the hall, "Jazz is my sparkmate. I think you'll like him. He has a magnetic personality that seems to draw everyone in."

"Well if he's as nice as you or Ratchet, then I'm sure I'll like him."

Prowl's spark hummed at that. He was glad this little femme was warming up to him and hoped she'd warm up to Jazz. While they walked, he opened a private Comm. link, ::Jazz, can you meet me outside the washroom? Our little guest needs a bath and Ratchet suggested that you assist her.::

::I'll head that way, Prowler. By the way, what's she like? She's not afraid of ya is she?::

::No, in fact, she was surprised that I'm a Praxion. That seemed to make her feel a bit better.:: He momentarily glanced down at the youngling before continuing his private conversation, ::She's quite the curious little femme and seems fascinated by everything around her.::

*chuckle* ::She sounds absolutely precious. I can't wait to meet her.::

::I know. I can feel your emotions through our bond. Anyways, I'll see you shortly.::

::Alrighty, Prowler.:: With that, the Comm. link disconnected.

Minutes later, Prowl and Filly approached the washroom where they spotted a smaller mech walking towards them: a smile was plastered across his face while his optics remained hidden underneath a blue visor. He stopped in front of them and grinned, "Hey Prowler, who's this little angel?"

The SIC looked down at the little femme and answered, "This is Filly."

He knelt down and warmly smiled at the youngling, "It's nice to meet ya, Filly. My designation is Jazz."

She shyly stood close to the Praxion, "Hi...You're Prowl's sparkmate, right?"

A nod was his response before he gently spoke, "That's right. We've been bonded for almost fifteen vorns now."

Her optics widened, "Wow! That's longer than I've been online!"

He chuckled at her response, "I'm sure it is. Now what brings ya by the washroom?" He knew why she was there, but he wanted to hear it from her.

She pouted and looked at her dirty servos, "Ratchet says I need a bath...I haven't had one in a long, long time...My Carrier used to give me baths whenever I got dirty...but after she offlined, I only washed whenever I found a safe place to stay...assuming there was a working washroom available. I still can't reach my wings very well…"

A sympathetic, yet gentle smile formed across the TIC's face, "Would ya like me ta help ya? I help Prowl wash off his doorwings all the time, so you can rest assured that I'll be gentle. I know how sensitive they can be."

Filly looked up at the mech and nodded with a small smile on her face. "Yes, please. Thank you so much for offering to help me." A sad look appeared across her dirty face, "Ever since my Carrier offlined, no one has offered to help me like all of you have so far."

Jazz gently tilted her chin up with one of his digits and gave her a kind smile, "That's what the Autobots are here for, sparklet. We help others and we protect the innocent. Know that everybot within this base will defend ya and protect ya to the best of our abilities. Even if ya just need someone to talk to, know that there's always somebody who will listen."

At his words, Filly felt her optics start to leak. She smiled and suddenly threw her little arms across Jazz's chassis in an attempt at a hug, "...Thank you…"

Jazz's spark sang within its casing at her sweet gesture. He instinctively wrapped his arms gently around her tiny frame and returned the hug. He looked up and saw Prowl warmly smiling, to which he sent an array of loving emotions through their bond, making the SIC's smile broaden. The TIC gently scooped Filly into his arms and stood up, "Why don't we see to that bath and then Prowler an' I can introduce ya to some of the other Autobots before recharge. Does that sound good?"

She nodded, "Yes, please." Filly waved goodbye to Prowl as Jazz took her into the washroom for cleaning. While the room was mostly filled with showers, there was one tub in the back. It resembled a swimming pool and could easily fit two fully grown mechs within it. There was even a sealed divider that allowed for only a portion of the tub to be filled so as to not waste water.

Jazz assembled the divider to where there would be plenty of room for Filly without having to use the whole tub. He then drew out a nice, hot bath and even added special solvent bubbles to make it more fun for the tiny femme. While the sectioned tub was filling up, he gathered the necessary cleaning supplies and returned to find Filly playfully popping some of the bubbles that had floated around her. With a warm smile, Jazz set the cleaning materials aside and tested the water to make sure it wasn't too hot or too cold for the youngling. Once he deemed it was an acceptable temperature, Jazz gently gathered Filly up and placed her in the tub.

The tiny youngling emitted a contented 'hmm' sound as the warm water heated her frame and dislodged clumps of debris from the small crevices' and joints in her armor. Her enjoyment increased when she felt Jazz gently scrub her back struts and winglets, to which she slightly giggled as he softly scrubbed the back of her neck before moving up to her helm fins. Unlike Sunstreaker, Filly's fins almost resembled birds wings and didn't stick out to the side like his, but rather angled upwards, giving her a more aerodynamic look.

Jazz warmly smiled as he suddenly heard her emit a purring sound at his gentle scrubbing. He soon finished her helm and fins, to which he then moved down to her face. "You're gettin' so clean, I barely recognize ya as the same femme I met a few kliks ago," he smiled and gently booped her on the olfactory sensor, making her giggle.

Filly mimicked the gesture and booped his olfactory sensor before speaking through giggles, "It's still me...I'm just clean now…"

He chuckled, "Indeed ya are, sparklet. You're so clean that ya put me to shame." He then rinsed out the washcloth before gently finishing cleaning off her face, to which he then scrubbed her arms, servos, legs and peds while she cleaned off her chassis and torso. "You're almost done. Would ya like me ta rinse ya off with the sprayer?"

She nodded, to which he then drained the tub before turning on the spray nozzle and gently rinsing her off, washing away any remaining solvent and residue from her tiny frame. Afterwards, Jazz turned off the sprayer and helped Filly out of the tub before wrapping her up in a massive fuzzy towel and gently drying her off. "There we go; all clean. If ya want, we can touch up your paint tomorrow. How does that sound?"

Her optics widened and sparkled, "Oh yes, please! I've never had a touch up before."

"Well I think everyone deserves to look their best from time to time. For now, how about we meet back up with Prowl an' then we can introduce ya to some of the other Autobots."

A happy nod was her response as Jazz placed the used towel on the rack to dry before gently picking her up and carrying her into the hallway where Prowl was waiting for them. "I see you're all cleaned up. Feel better?"

She nodded, "Oh yes. Jazz was very helpful in scrubbing my wings."

The SIC gave a smile, "He's the best when it comes to giving back scratches."

From under his visor, Jazz winked at his mate, "Only because ya won't let anyone else touch your doorwings, aside from the medics, and that's only if it's necessary." A flirtatious smile crept along his face, "You're just too sensitive, Prowler."

He arched a brow and slightly flit his doorwings, "We'll discuss this topic later, Jazz...Right now there are some Autobots who wish to meet Filly." He led them down the hallway towards the rec room but as they walked, he opened a private Comm. link to his mate, ::You do realize that I will make you regret those words, Jazz.::

The TIC chuckled and replied through the Comm. ::I'm looking forward to it, Prowler.::

::Good, because I won't be holding back.::

::Hmm, that makes two of us,:: he looked over at his mate and winked from under his visor while they entered the rec room. Four sets of optics landed on the trio, to which Jazz smirked and addressed them, "Hey ya'll, Prowl an' I would like to introduce ya to Filly."

The first to approach them was a younger mech. He was Praxion like Prowl and had the same red chevron on his helm while his frame was bluish-grey in color. "Oh, is this the youngling that came in on the pod earlier?! She's SO cute! How old is she? Were her injuries really bad? I hope not, I don't like seeing others in pain, Oh, she's Praxion! I didn't think there were other Praxion's out there besides Smokescreen, myself and you, Prowl. This is wonderful indeed!"

The SIC gave the younger mech a kind smile, "I'm sure Filly will be happy to answer your questions in due time, Blue. For now, she's adjusting to her new surroundings."

"Not to worry, I completely understand. It's not easy adjusting to a new environment, but don't worry little one, you'll get used to it. Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners. My designation is Bluestreak, but everybody usually calls me Blue. You're welcomed to call me that as well, I don't mind."

Filly smiled at the young mech and flit her winglets, "It's nice to meet you, Bluestreak."

The next to approach were a pair of mechs: Probably a few vorns older than Bluestreak. The red one smiled at the little femme and spoke in a kind tone, "It's nice to see you're finally awake. When Prime pulled you out of that pod, you were in stasis-lock."

"Yea...I don't even know how long I was out. It could have been a few kliks or it could have been vorns." She looked between the two and asked, "Are you brothers by any chance?"

He smiled and gave a nod, "Indeed we are, scrapplet. My designation is Sideswipe and this gleaming pile of sunshine is my brother, Sunstreaker."

The yellow mech narrowed his optics at his brother but spoke to the little femme in a neutral tone, "We're split-sparked twins; meaning we share the same spark."

Her optics widened, "Wow, I've heard of split sparked twins before, but I never thought I'd actually meet a pair. Thank you for rescuing me."

Sideswipe smiled at the tiny femme, "We're not the only one's who saved you." He gestured over towards another young mech, "Bumblebee helped us provide backup for Ironhide and Optimus while they retrieved you out of the pod."

She looked over at the smaller, yellow mech, "Thank you, Bumblebee." Filly noticed how much younger he appeared to be compared to the other mechs. He looked to be about 16 or 17 vorns old while Bluestreak appeared to be 19 vorns and the twins looked like they were nearing 23 vorns.

He bashfully smiled, "Aw, it was no big deal. I'm just glad we recovered you in time."

She nodded before Jazz gently set her down, allowing her to wander around. "What is this room?"

"It's a rec room," Bumblebee answered with a smile. "We mainly use it to hang out in, play video games and watch movies when we're off duty."

"What are video games and movies? I'm afraid that I don't know much about Earth customs or activities."

"Well, movies are sort of like holographs, but only play on a screen and are two or three dimensional. There's many different types of movies to choose from as well. Now, video games are kinda like movies, except you control the characters and sometimes their environment."

"Really? How strange. Earth seems like it's full of interesting things."

"Oh it is!" Bluestreak smiled, "There's so many amazing and wondrous things on this planet; like waterfalls, rainbows, the vast variety of trees, flowers and organic creatures. There's even organics that carry their young in pouches similar to our sparkling holds. Marsupials is what the humans call them. Oh! And you would probably love the different seasons this planet experiences. I'm not too keen on winter, but spring is very pretty...But there will be plenty of time to talk about Earth later. Tell us about you, Filly. Is that your designation? If not, I apologize."

She shook her helm and smiled, "No, no, it's correct. Filly is my designation. Now, what do you want to know?"

"Well, you can tell us how you ended up in that pod for starters." Sunstreaker tilted his helm and crossed his arms over his chassis but gave the young femme a sympathetic look.

*sigh* "Alright, but know that I was unaware of whose pod it was. I was originally planning to use it as a temporary hiding space. There was a battle waging around me and I was about to go into stasis-lock if I didn't find a safe place to recharge soon. I didn't know the pod would launch...I must have accidentally pressed something I wasn't supposed to because the next thing I knew, I was trapped inside and it was rocketing off towards a pre-programed destination. When I woke up, I was in the Med Bay. I don't even know how long I was out."

"Where are your creators?" Bumblebee asked in a caring tone.

Filly looked at her peds while her winglets dropped in sadness, "They're offline...I...I don't want to talk about them right now…"

Jazz knelt beside her and wiped away her tears with his thumb, "It's alright, sparklet. When you're ready to talk, you can tell us. For now, we'll leave the subject alone."

She nodded and hugged him, to which he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. Prowl gently rubbed the top of her helm and spoke in a Sire-like tone, "Perhaps we should take you back to the Med Bay for the night. We'll continue the tour in the morning. Does that sound alright with you?"

*yawn* "Yea...I guess I am getting a little sleepy…," she instinctively rested her helm on Jazz's shoulder and instantly fell into recharge, making the TIC smile with glee. He and Prowl politely excused themselves and left the rec room with Filly fast asleep.

The SIC lovingly placed a servo along Jazz's back and walked alongside him as they made their way towards the Med Bay. He felt a swell of pride as his sparkmates emotions bled through their bond. _::Oh Prowler, isn't she just precious?! I love her so much! I hope she'll want to form a creator bond with us.::_

_::She is indeed. I too have grown attached to her, but she must make this decision on her own.::_

_::I know...I'm just overly excited.::_

Prowl smiled down at his sparkmate and kissed the top of his helm before they entered the Med Bay where Ratchet was busy compiling a medical file for Filly. "Ah, I see she fell into recharge. Well, place her on the berth and I'll fetch a thermal blanket for her."

Jazz reluctantly placed the tiny femme upon the medical berth: he was already missing her presence and wanted to bond with her more. Prowl placed a reassuring servo on his shoulder and gave him a knowing smile, "She'll be alright. We'll see her again in the morning."

*sigh* "I know, Prowler...I just wish I could be with her a bit longer."

The SIC's optics softened at his sparkmate, "You will tomorrow. Right now she needs rest...and so do you," he spoke with a slight growl to his voice.

From under his visor, Jazz raised a brow as he caught onto his innuendo. He flashed Prowl a flirtatious grin, "Why I do believe you're right, Prowler. I could use some..._rest._"

Ratchet returned with the thermal blanket and placed it around the little femme, "Yes, yes, you two go on and head to your room. I'll stay up for a while longer and keep an optic on the youngling. I've got some medical files to re-organize...It seems _someone_ came in here while I was out and rearranged them."

Both mechs knew he was referring to Sideswipe, to which they just shook their helms. With heavy sparks, they left Filly in the Med Bay and retreated to their private quarters.


	3. Chapter 3

"English"

::Comm. link::

_{Cybertronian}_

**[HUD Notifications/scans]**

**"Intercom"**

:Speaker speech:

_::Bond conversations::_

_Memories/flashbacks/stasis_

_{:Ghost/apparition speech:}_

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just my OC.)**

Chapter3

Filly tossed and turned in her recharge as her spark was trying to reach out for her Carrier and Sire. Even though both of her creators were offline and had been for vorns, she was trying to form a bond with another pair, hoping to fill a void and bring some form of comfort to her fragile processor. The tiny femme groggily kicked off the thermal blanket and slipped off the berth before sluggishly dragging herself out of the Med Bay and down the large hallway. She stumbled around the Ark for several minutes, making her way over to the barracks until her spark forced her to stop in front of one of the rooms. With a large amount of effort, Filly somehow opened the door and wobbled into the dark room.

The outline of two figures asleep on a nearby berth caused her spark to hum in recognition before she sleepily walked over and climbed atop the large berth where she crawled underneath the thermal blanket and up towards the head of the berth. Prowl was recharging on his back with Jazz snuggled against him when his sensors detected soft movement from underneath the blanket. Using his night vision and thermal imaging, he realized that Filly had somehow wandered out of the Med Bay, found their room and let herself in. He noticed that she didn't seem entirely awake, so he refrained from speaking so as to not startle her.

Filly crawled underneath Jazz's arm and wedged herself in between the two mechs before drifting off to recharge. Prowl warmly smiled at the scene and gently tucked some of the blanket around her tiny frame. Afterwards, he closed his optics and fell back into recharge.

XXXXX

-The next morning-

Jazz awoke to a warm feeling in his spark and a small pressure against his chassis. He opened his optics to see Filly lying in between him and his sparkmate. Her optics were closed, indicating that she was still recharging, but her face was relaxed, meaning that all was peaceful. The TIC gently poked his sparkmate and whispered, "Prowl..Prowler…"

The SIC opened one of his optics and smiled at his beloved, "Yes, Jazz?"

"Look who's here," he gestured towards the tiny femme in between them.

He glanced down at Filly and smiled, "I know. I saw her crawl into berth with us last night."

Jazz felt his spark reach out towards hers, hoping she would accept the bond. With a tiny whimper, Filly emitted a soft sigh and reached over to him, where she placed her little servo upon his chassis and spoke in a sleepy voice, "...Carrier…"

The saboteur felt his optics starting to mist over with joy: she called him Carrier! He looked over at Prowl who was grinning from audio receptor to audio receptor. "Prowler, she called me Carrier!"

"I heard," he softly kissed his forehead.

"Dearspark, reach out to her. See if she'll bond with you."

He nodded before sending gentle pulses through his spark, hoping to reach hers and form a bond with her. The tiny femme hummed in her recharge before turning over and facing him. Though she wasn't awake still, Filly instinctively reached over and placed her servo on his chassis and mumbled, "...Sire…"

Prowl happily smiled at the tiny femme while his sparkmate joined him in their newfound joy. Jazz looked at his beloved and asked in a whisper, "Should we try speaking to her through the bond? Maybe explain everything leading to this moment?"

He nodded and focused on their bond, reaching out to Filly. Though she was recharging, the tiny femme suddenly felt a warm, familiar presence in her spark. She recognized it as a creator bond, but she knew this couldn't be the case, seeing as how her creators were offline. _::Who's there?:: _she asked in a confused, little voice.

_::It's okay, dearspark. We're here for you.::_

_::Jazz? How are you speaking to me?::_

There was a smile to his voice, _::You reached out and formed a creator bond with us, sweetspark.::_

_::Us?:: _she asked confused.

Another familiar voice suddenly chimed in, _::Us, as in Jazz and I.::_

_::Prowl? You're here too?::_

He softly chuckled, _::Of course; Jazz is my sparkmate. When you formed a Carrier bond with him, you then formed a Sire bond with me.:: _His voice was reassuring and supportive, _::Your spark must have been trying to call out to us last night because you wandered into our room and climbed into the berth with us.::_

_::I'm sorry...I guess I just missed the feeling of having someone to love and protect me.::_

Jazz's soothing voice chimed in and comforted her, _::Sweetspark, you needn't feel sorry for wanting to feel safe. You can rest assured that Prowl and I will do our best to love and care for you as your biological creators would. I know things may seem strange at the moment, but I hope you will come to see us as your creators in due time. Just know that we love you very much.::_

She happily cried, _::Even though I just met you both yesterday, you're willing to take me in?::_

Prowl answered, _::Of course. The moment we saw you, we felt a connection towards you and knew we wanted to care for you. I may not be your biological Sire, but I will do my best to raise you as my own creation.::_

_::And I know I will never replace your birth Carrier...but I hope you will see me as a decent alternative,:: _Jazz warmly smiled.

Filly sent loving vibes through the bond, to which she suddenly stirred awake and hugged her new creators who in turn, held her close and warmly embraced her. Both Jazz and Prowl peppered her helm and cheeks with kisses as she too returned their affections.

XXXXX

-Later-

Filly was currently sitting in the Med Bay while Ratchet examined her. She smiled at her adoptive creators before the CMO's voice spoke up, "Well your systems are at 52% recovery...How are you feeling, little one?"

A loud growling sound was heard, to which she held her abdomen and blushed, "Hungry…"

He chuckled, "I can see that." He then handed her a cube of med-grade energon before approaching Jazz and Prowl, speaking to them through a private Comm. link, ::Her condition hasn't improved much since yesterday, meaning her systems are struggling to repair themselves. I recommend that she refrain from browsing the internet for the next week or two. In her weakened state, she could easily contract a virus and fall ill, postponing her recovery even further.::

Both mechs nodded in agreement before approaching their little femme. "Hey sparklet, would you like to have your frame touched up? Sunstreaker is the best painter in the galaxy; he'll make sure you look fabulous." Jazz gave a wink from underneath his visor.

Filly happily nodded, "Oh yes please! Can we go now? I want to look pretty before I meet the rest of the Autobots."

Prowl gently rubbed her helm and smiled, "You're already beautiful, sweetspark. Know that no matter what your appearance might be, we will always love you."

She hugged him, to which his spark sent comforting vibes to hers. Prowl gently picked her up and carried her out of the Med Bay with Jazz following alongside them.

XXXXX

Sunstreaker was finishing up buffing his arm when a knock at the door caught his attention. "Sides, will you answer that? I'm almost done polishing."

"Sure thing, Sunny," the red mech smirked before opening their berthroom door, revealing the SIC, TIC and the femmling. "It's Prowl, Jazz and Filly."

"Alright, let them in," the yellow mech stated while finishing up his polishing.

Sideswipe motioned for the three of them to enter, to which Filly was placed on the floor where she smiled up at the frontliner, "Hi, Sideswipe! How are you today?"

He chuckled at her adorableness, "I'm well, thank you. Sunny and I have been touching up our paint jobs and waxing our finishes." A knowing smile crossed his face, "I take it that you're here for a touch up? Sunny is best when it comes to paint and perfection."

His twin made a slight smirk in agreement before glancing over at the trio, "Well of course I am. Someone on this base has to be. Now, would you like to select a new color scheme or stick to your current one?"

She blushed and looked at the faded color on her peds, "If possible, I'd like to find a color similar to my original."

"I might have some orange paint lying around here somewhere," he got up from his berth and went over to a Cybertronian sized storage chest where he rummaged through it for a few minutes before returning with a can of orange paint in his servo, "Would this work for you? The color is similar to your original...at least from what I can tell."

She studied the color for a moment before happily nodding, "It'll work. I like the name of this color: apricot. Is that a human term for energon?"

Jazz chuckled and shook his helm, "No sweetspark; apricots are a type of fruit."

Not knowing she wasn't supposed to be online, Filly quickly looked up what an apricot was, as well as what fruit is. She lost her concentration when Sideswipe asked, "So how are you adjusting?"

She smiled up at him, "I think I'm adapting fine. Jazz and Prowl formed a creator bond with me earlier this morning."

"That's great! I know they'll take good care of you."

Prowl held his doorwings high in pride, "Indeed we will. Jazz and I are currently in the process of rearranging our room to accommodate her."

Sunstreaker prepped his painting tools while giving the two command officers a knowing smirk, "Better divide up the room and make hers soundproof while your at it."

The SIC gave him a warning glare before Filly tilted her helm and asked in a curious voice, "Why would I need a soundproof room?"

Sideswipe was about to speak when Jazz cut him off, knowing he'd probably say something inappropriate. "Well sparklet...sometimes yer Sire and I can be pretty loud when we're 'together' in a personal way…"

"You mean when you interphase?"

All four mechs stared at her with wide optics before the twins began laughing. Prowl cleared his vocalizer and asked, "How do you know about interphasing?

She looked at him with innocent optics and smiled, "My Carrier told me about it when I asked her where sparklings come from...She didn't go into too much detail, seeing as how I was only four vorns old at the time, but I think I get the gist of it."

"Ahem...well...alright then." Not wanting to continue this subject, Prowl glanced over at Sunstreaker and asked, "Are you ready for her?"

He regained his composure and nodded, "Yea, just have her sit on the stool for me."

Prowl picked his daughter up and placed her on the metal stool, "Okay sweetspark, Sunstreaker is going to paint you now. You'll have to remain still while he does this, alright?"

She nodded and smiled, "Okay Papa."

A smile appeared on his face at the title, "Where did that term come from?"

A blush appeared along her cheeks, "Shortly after we formed a bond. I wanted to find appropriate titles to call you and Jazz besides Sire and Carrier...those titles belonged to my birth creators. Is Papa okay?"

He smiled and gave a nod, "It's perfect. Thank you, sweetspark."

"Just out of curiosity," Jazz warmly smiled at the tiny femme, "What's my new title?"

"Well...at first I wanted to call you Mama...but that's a title given to femmes. I looked up other human terms for 'Papa' on the internet and found one that suits you perfectly. What do you think of Baba?"

Jazz felt his spark swell with pride, "I love it. Thank you, lil' spark." He then placed a kiss upon her cheek and moved aside so Sunstreaker could work on her paint.

XXXXX

-Two hours later-

"Alright, you're almost done. Just a few more kliks and then you're all dry." The yellow frontliner smiled as he applied the last smidge of paint on Filly's helm.

The tiny femme emitted a giggle as he unknowingly tickled her audio receptor. "I can't wait to see what I look like! From what I can see now, I'm so pretty. You're a wonderful painter, Sunny."

He emitted a 'hmm' sound at the use of his nickname. While he didn't care for it, he had to admit that it sounded adorable coming from her. "Alright, you're all done." He gestured towards the full-length mirror on the wall, "Go take a look at yourself and tell me what you think."

She hopped down from the stool and stood in front of the mirror with an adorable gap-toothed smile on her face,"I love it…" She fluttered her winglets and happily looked herself over in the mirror, "I love it! I love it! I love it! Thank you, Sunny!" She ran over and hugged the yellow frontliner, who in turn returned the sweet gesture.

Sideswipe sat on the edge of his berth and smiled, "You look amazing, Filly. Sunny you did a great job on her paint."

He nodded in agreement before gently prying the tiny femme off, "Alright, I think your creators want to introduce you to some of the others. But if you ever want to visit Sideswipe and I, you know where to find us."

"Okay," she smiled and hugged Sideswipe before leaving the room with her Papa and Baba.


	4. Chapter 4

"English"

::Comm. link::

_{Cybertronian}_

**[HUD notifications/scans]**

**"Intercom"**

:Speaker speech:

_::Bond conversations::_

_Memories/flashbacks/stasis_

_{:Ghost/apparition speech:}_

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just Filly)**

Chapter 4

Optimus and Ironhide were returning from target practice when they noticed Prowl and Jazz approach, accompanied by the tiny femme. "Hey Prowl, ya got another admirer following you around?" The weapons specialist joked and smiled down at the little femmling.

The SIC chuckled and looked down to see Filly hiding behind his leg, "As a matter of fact, I do." He addressed them with an air of pride, "Ironhide, Optimus; Jazz and I would like to introduce you to Filly."

The Prime knelt before her and warmly smiled from under his face guard, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Filly. My designation is Optimus Prime and this here is Ironhide," he gestured to the mech beside him. "We intercepted your pod yesterday and brought you back to base with Bumblebee and the twins' help."

Her optics widened, "I remember you...Though I couldn't hear your voice or see your face because of my stasis-lock, I remember feeling really warm and safe prior to waking up in the Med Bay."

He nodded, "I was the one who pulled you out of the pod and carried you to safety. I had to hold you close to my spark because your internal temperature was decreasing due to the arctic climate."

Filly stepped out from behind Prowl's leg and approached the towering mech, to which she wrapped her arms around him in an attempt at a hug, "Thank you for rescuing me!"

Humbled by her sweet gesture, Optimus hugged her back and smiled, "Of course." He then asked, "How are you liking it here so far? Have you met with some of the other Autobots?"

She nodded, "Yea, I met Bumblebee, Bluestreak and the twins last night and Sunstreaker was the one who touched up my paint."

Ironhide crossed his arms and smirked, "I was about to say that you look a little different than when we found you yesterday."

She nodded before the sight of a familiar yellow mech caught her attention, "Bumblebee!" She happily ran over to the younger mech, who knelt before her and rubbed the top of her helm.

"Hey there, Filly. You look amazing! Did Sunstreaker paint you?"

"Yea, he did. I sat still the whole time because I didn't want to get smudged. Oh, guess what?!"

"What?" He asked with a smile as she fluttered her winglets in excitement.

"Prowl and Jazz formed a creator bond with me this morning!"

His optics lit up as his smile broadened, "Really? That's great! I know they'll make wonderful creators." Said mechs were both standing proud while Prime and Ironhide offered their congratulations to them.

XXXXX

-Later that afternoon-

Jazz and Prowl were working on the renovations to their private quarters while Filly was happily playing a game of hide and seek with Bumblebee and Bluestreak. As soon as she found a good place to hide, Filly suddenly felt sick and started to purge before her vision became spotty. The tiny femme collapsed upon the floor and remained unmoving as she felt her optics darken and her audio receptors fade out any surrounding noise. Her HUD flashed an urgent warning, signaling that her systems were no longer improving, but rather decreasing in function and shutting down. Panicked, Filly reached for her creators through their bond, _::Papa! Baba!::_

Jazz's panicked voice chimed in, _::Filly?! What's wrong? Where are you sweetspark?::_

_::I'm in a storage closet off by the rec room...I was playing hide and seek and I started feeling sick...I'm scared…::_

Prowl responded, _::Okay, we're coming to get you. Just hold on.::_ He and Jazz rushed out of their room and down the hallway where they raced down to the recreational area and over to the storage closet where upon opening it, they were met with a terrifying sight: there was their little femme lying motionless upon the floor in a pool of sour energon. As the SIC knelt down to pick her up, she purged some more and emitted a painful wailing sound. Prowl and Jazz felt their sparks clench at the sight and knew they had to get her to the Med Bay.

With all the speed they could muster, Prowl and Jazz ran up to the Med Bay with their little femme securely cradled in her Papa's arms. The CMO's optics widened upon seeing the two mechs enter his domain with an unresponsive Filly in tow, "What in the name of Primus happened?!"

Jazz shook his helm and felt his optics misting underneath his visor, "We don't know. She said she was just playing a game when all of a sudden she purged and collapsed." He felt his parental coding going into overdrive as Ratchet took her from Prowl's arms and placed her upon the medical berth. "Ratchet, what's wrong with our little femme?"

He signaled for First Aid to assist him while he carefully inserted an energon I.V. into her little arm, *sigh* "She's showing signs of a virus...and a very powerful one at that. You've been preventing her from accessing the internet right?"

"As far as I know," Prowl stated, "she only got online earlier before you examined her this morning."

"Well, this would explain why her systems aren't recovering properly." He scanned her tiny frame and cursed, "Frag...she's down to 23% functionality. Anything below 10% is fatal." There was a beeping sound as the monitor informed them of her systems overheating. Filly's cooling fans tried to kick on, but the virus was preventing them from properly functioning.

Jazz tried to reach out to their little femme, but Prowl had to hold him back to let the medics do their job. The TIC buried his face in his sparkmates chassis and heavily started to cry, "Oh Prowler….we just bonded with her….We can't lose her now! We can't!"

"Primus damn it, 19%...," Ratchet cursed while trying to save the little femme. "Prowl, you and Jazz need to leave. I'll Comm. you when she stabilizes."

The SIC sadly nodded while dragging his sparkmate out of the Med Bay. "No, she needs us!"

"Jazz...we need to let the medics work on her," he cupped his cheek and held him close, allowing him to cry into his shoulder.

"But what if she…," he choked on his words, too afraid to say the rest of his sentence.

"Jazz, look at me," Prowl turned up his helm so they were looking at one another. "Ratchet is the best medic on Cybertron and Earth. He'll save her."

A small nod was his response before they suddenly felt painful tugs at their sparks: Filly was trying to reach out to them. She was scared. _::Baba! Papa!::_

_::I'm here baby; Baba's here. Papa's here too. We're right here::_

_::Everything's really hot…...What's happening to me?::_

_::You contracted a virus, sweetspark,::_ Prowl spoke in a calm tone, though he was worried beyond belief.

_::Oh no...It's all my fault! I never should have looked up what fruit was!::_ She wailed.

_::It's not your fault, baby. You didn't know what would happen,::_ Jazz soothed and sent her loving vibes through their bond. _::We love you so much, Filly. Don't give up fighting.::_

_::Please, sweetspark, stay strong for us,::_ Prowl pleaded.

She sent her love through the bond before she made a groan, _::Everything hurts…::_ Her bond suddenly started to weaken, _::I feel so tired…::_

_::No, baby, stay with us! Don't give up!::_ Jazz begged.

_::Baba...Papa...I...love...you…::_


	5. Chapter 5

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just my OC(s).)**

Chapter 5

_Filly found herself surrounded by a soothing white light as she looked around, trying to determine where she was. :{Hello? Is anyone there? Baba? Papa?}:_

_There were voices all around her but they sounded distant; however, there was one voice that she immediately honed in on, :{Filly? Is that you, sweetspark?}: The voice was soft and gentle sounding, like a lullaby._

_Her optics widened as she recognized the voice, :{Carrier?!}:_

_:{Yes my precious sparkling, it's me.}:_

_:{Where are you? How come I can't see you?}:_

_:{I'm right beside you, sweetspark.}: A beautiful femme suddenly appeared and smiled down at her. She looked similar to Filly except she had doorwings as opposed to winglets. Her armor was a scarlet red color with silver accents and her helm resembled a frilled crown. Her gentle optics met those of her daughter, :{Hello there, little one.}:_

_Filly threw her arms around her Carrier and softly cried, :{I missed you so much!}: Reality suddenly hit her, :{Am I offline?!}:_

_:{No, but ye will be if ya stay here too much longer,}: Another familiar voice sounded beside her. With a slight tilt of her helm, Filly noticed a mech suddenly appear out of the mist. He was very tall and broad in size, but not nearly as big as Optimus. His armor was bright orange in color while trace amounts of yellow could be seen here and there._

_:{Sire? Is that you?}:_

_He chuckled and gave a nod, :{Aye, it's me. I wasn't expecting ye to remember me considering I was offlined while ye were still a sparkling.}:_

_She instantly hugged him and cried, :{I never thought I'd see you again...}:_

_His optics softened as he nuzzled his creation, :{There, there, my wee femme. It's alright.}:_

_:{I don't want to leave you…}:_

_Her Carrier and Sire held her close and hugged her, :{We don't want you to leave either, but you must. You need to survive. You need to live and grow up among the Autobots.}: She smiled at her creation and wiped away her tears, :{You have loving creators who need you still. We'll be waiting for you within the Well of Allsparks for when your time does arrive, but for now, we need you to wake up and be with them. We love you so much, Filly.}:_

_:{I love you too}:, Filly hugged them tightly before they slowly faded away, leaving her alone once more. The light suddenly vanished and was replaced by darkness._

XXXXX

**[Systems diagnostics complete]**

**[Condition: Stable, virus neutralized. Systems recovering]**

"Filly...babydoll...it's Baba. If you can hear me, know that Papa and I are right here. We just want you to wake up...please. Come back to us, sweetspark," Jazz's voice slowly became audible as consciousness returned to the little femme. Upon stroking his daughters servo with one of his digits, Jazz noticed her respond to his touch with a slight twitch of her mouth, "Oh Prowler, she's waking up...Our sparkling is waking up!"

Filly slowly opened her optics and stared up at the Med Bay ceiling before emitting a tiny whimper, "...Baba...Papa…"

Two familiar mechs suddenly appeared beside her and began sending her loving vibes through their bonds. Prowl gently placed his servo atop her helm and smiled, "We're here, little one. We barely left your side this whole time."

She sleepily looked up at him and asked, "How long was I out?"

"About a quartex." He gently stroked her helm while Jazz tenderly squeezed her servo.

"Ya had us scared for quite a while there, sweetspark...We were afraid we'd lost ya."

"I...I remember a bright light and voices all around me. And then...I saw them…"

"Who, sparklet?"

"My creators….They were so happy to see me again…I wanted to stay with them but they told me to come back here and be with the both of you and that they'd wait for me in the Well of Allsparks."

Jazz sat on the edge of the berth and gently took her into his arms where he cradled her against his chassis, "Well I am grateful that they sent ya back to us. We were lost without ya."

"Really?" she asked in a little voice.

"Indeed," Ratchet replied and approached the berth. "These two hardly consumed any energon or recharged while you were in stasis-lock. They barely left the Med Bay for fear of you waking up alone without them."

A guilty look crossed her face, "I'm sorry I made you all worry so much."

"Sweetspark," Jazz soothed, "you have nothing to be sorry for." He kissed her forehead as he felt Prowl sit beside him on the berth and placed his arm around his shoulders, bringing them closer to his frame.

"We're just glad you're alright," the SIC spoke with an air of relief in his voice.

"Everyone on base was concerned about you, sweetspark. Aside from us, Bumblebee and Bluestreak stayed next to your side almost the entire time. Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Ironhide and Optimus stopped by everyday just to visit you and give us some time to refuel and recharge when Ratchet ordered us to do so."

"Which by the way, you two should refuel soon. You haven't had any energon in two Earth days and I see you're both lacking in recharge," the CMO stated as a matter-of-factly.

Prowl's doorwings twitched slightly, "I know...but we've been worried for our youngling. We'll take care of our needs later."

"No; you'll do it now. Filly is awake and she's safe. She'll be alright for a couple of groons while you refuel and recharge. I'll be right here with her and I'll even Comm. Bumblebee and Bluestreak to visit her for a little while."

Jazz emitted a tired sigh as he looked upon his sparkmate, "Prowler, I don't want to leave her."

He nuzzled the top of his helm with his olfactory sensor, "I know. You stay here with her and I'll get us some energon. Afterwards, we can rest on the adjacent berth, so we'll be right beside her." The SIC glanced over at Ratchet, "Is that alright with you?"

He gave a nod and crossed his arms, "Yes, so long as you two actually recharge and not wake up every five kliks."

He nodded understanding before placing a kiss upon Filly's helm, "I'll be back soon, sweetspark."

"Okay, Papa. I'll be here with Baba," she snuggled closer into Jazz's frame and sleepily rubbed her optics.

Prowl tenderly smiled at his little family before reluctantly pushing himself off the berth and stepping out of the Med Bay. As he walked down the hall, he spotted Bluestreak approaching. "Oh Prowl, I'm glad I ran into you. How's Filly? Is her condition improving or is she still the same? I've been worried about her for weeks...Well...everyone's been worried about her, even if they haven't met her personally yet, they're all still worried because she's the first youngling to appear in vorns and all of a sudden she's stricken with a virus that nearly offlines her and now we don't know what's going to happen to her. I pray she wakes up soon. I miss hearing her little voice and Bumblebee can't stop thinking about her and I know Sunny and Sides are besides themselves with worry...Optimus keeps telling all of us to remain calm and that she will get better but it's been weeks…"

"She's awake, Blue." Prowl said with a small smile as he placed a servo on the younger Praxion's shoulder. "Filly woke up a few kliks ago. I meant to inform everyone via Comm. link, but as you can see, I am not exactly at my optimum function at the moment."

"Oh thank Primus, she's awake! Don't you worry Prowl; I'll broadcast a public Comm. link and inform everyone of the good news!"

He offered a tired smile, "Thank you, Bluestreak...But if you would do me a small favor; could you hold off on allowing visitors for a few groons? Jazz and I haven't recharged in almost two Earth weeks. We'll be staying in the Med Bay with Filly and we'll Comm. everyone when we're functional enough for visitors." His optics softened, "But don't worry, I'll let her know you're thinking about her."

"Really? Thank you, Prowl. I'll let you go so you can grab some energon and get back to your family."

XXXXX

Filly was happily drinking a cube of med-grade energon when Prowl returned with two cubes of mid-grade in his servos. A tired smile appeared across his face as he approached the berth and handed Jazz a cube, "How's our little sparklet doing?"

The TIC graciously took the cube and smiled down at their precious little femme before facing his beloved once more, "She's doing fine. Ratchet unhooked her from the I.V. and gave her some med-grade to settle her systems and bring her up to full function. He also scanned her and said she's now at 67% recovery. She should be at full health by the end of the week. Until then, he suggested that she should avoid browsing the internet so as to not risk a relapse."

"Agreed," Prowl sighed as he sat beside his sparkmate and sipped his own energon while Filly slowly continued to drink hers. She was just so precious and fragile looking, yet she was a fighter. "Hey Filly, I ran into Bluestreak. He wanted you to know that he's thinking about you."

"Aw, Blue...I miss him and Bumblebee and Sideswipe and Sunstreaker and Optimus and Ironhide...I hope to see them soon."

Jazz kissed her helm and smiled, "You will, sparklet."

*yawn* "I know…," she finished her energon and placed the empty cube aside before asking in a tired voice, "Can I recharge with you and Papa? I don't want to be in my berth alone right now."

He nodded and gently stroked her winglets, "Of course, babydoll. Whatever ya want." With a smile, Jazz looked at his sparkmate and asked their daughter, "Would ya like Papa ta hold you while ya recharge?"

She nodded and reached for Prowl, to which the Praxion gently took a hold of the tiny femme and cradled her in his arms. Within seconds, Filly was out and napping comfortably while her creators looked on in adoration and relief that she was going to be alright.

After Prowl and Jazz finished their energon and set the empty cubes aside, they laid themselves down on the berth for some overdue recharge. Prowl laid on his back and placed Filly on his chassis while he wrapped an arm around Jazz. Almost as soon as they got into a comfortable position, their optics closed and their systems powered down.


	6. Chapter 6

"English"

::Comm. link::

_{Cybertronian}_

**[HUD notifications/scans]**

**"Intercom"**

:Speaker speech:

_::Bond conversations::_

_Memories/flashbacks/stasis_

_{:Ghost/apparition speech:}_

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just my OC(s))**

**(Authors Note: I hope you all are enjoying this story so far because I've enjoyed writing it thus far. I just love the idea of a sweet family story for our favorite mech couple. (Also, I know there might be some grammar/spelling errors out there, but I don't exactly have time to go back and edit all of them at this time. Hopefully, they're not too awful.) On a side note: I wish to offer an advance ****apology for I will be unable to upload further content for a few months due to the fact that I will be starting a new job out at sea within a weeks time. I'll be gone for the next five to six months and will have limited access to the internet, but will be editing and writing more on my spare time. I might not get many opportunities to upload new chapters while I am at sea, but I will try whenever my schedule allows me to do so. Until I return, I hope you guys enjoy the story and feel free to comment. **

Chapter 6

-Eight Earth hours later-

Jazz awoke to find Filly still asleep on Prowl's chassis and his sparkmate peacefully recharging. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, he captured the adorable image and saved it in his processor as well as making a digital copy to display and show him later. It was just too cute to pass up. He lovingly ran the back of his digits along his mates face and whispered, "I always knew you'd make a great Sire, Prowler."

The SIC opened one of his optics and gave him a lopsided smirk, "And I knew you'd make a wonderful Carrier."

"How was your recharge?"

"Relaxing, knowing our youngling is on the road to recovery. What about you?"

"Perfect," he pulled up the image he captured. "I took this a few moments ago. You two just look so precious together."

He looked at the holo-image and smiled, "Hmm, I could say the same about the two of you as well." Prowl then pulled up an image of Filly snuggled against Jazz. Both were recharging and had small smiles on their faces.

"Did ya take this when she snuck into our room?"

He nodded, "Yes. As I mentioned, I noticed her come inside and settle herself in between us. I took the opportunity to capture the image because I knew that was something I wanted to share with you."

"Aw, Prowler…," he leaned over and kissed him, to which he responded by gently pulling him closer, deepening their kiss for a moment before reluctantly letting him go. Both mechs wanted to be closer together, but they didn't want to risk waking Filly, seeing as how she was still recharging and was quite comfortable atop of Prowl's chassis.

The tiny femme flitted her winglets and stretched slightly before setteling back down with a yawn, making both of her creators smile with admiration. She lazily opened her optics and spoke in a sleepy, little voice, "...Papa...Baba...How long was I recharging?"

"About eight Earth hours," Jazz replied as he gently rubbed her back, making her purr slightly as he softly ran his digits along her winglets. *chuckle* "You sound just like a kitten."

She tilted her helm and raised a brow, "What's a kitten?"

"It's an Earth mammal. We'll show you a slideshow of Earth's native organic species later. For now, do you feel like having visitors? Everyone's been inquiring about you for weeks now." Prowl stated while sitting up on the berth, being careful not to jostle Filly around too much.

She nodded, "Yea. I still haven't met everybot, nor have I finished my tour of the Ark yet."

"Well, that's about to change, sparklet," Jazz smiled as he opened a public Comm. link and informed the base that Filly was awake and on the road to recovery.

XXXXX

Throughout the day, Autobots filed into the Med Bay to visit the tiny femme and offer their support on her recovery. Some bots were new to the youngling, but at the end of the day, almost all of the Autobots had been properly introduced and took a liking to her. She loved meeting everyone and listening to their stories.

At the moment, Filly was being carried by Jazz while he and Prowl took her out of the Med Bay for a walk around the base and resumed her tour. Upon entering the lab, the three of them were met with an array of welding noises and hammering sounds. Obviously Wheeljack was in the middle of working on yet another invention. He noticed them enter, to which he placed his tools down and smiled from underneath his face guard, "I see you two finally decided to bring her to the lab. Well, Filly, what do you think?"

Her optics drank in the sight before her: there were bits of machinery everywhere and various tools lining the worktable along with blueprints for future inventions. "Wow, this place is amazing! What sort of things have you created?"

"Oh my, where to begin: let's see...Oh! I recently constructed a device that'll allow you to project images from your processor into a hologram. Would you like to try?"

She looked up at her creators for permission, to which Prowl gave a nod, "This is one of Wheeljack's safest inventions and has been tested numerous times. You have our permission to try it if you wish to do so."

She gave a nod, "Yes, please. I'd like to use it so I can show you all my Sire and Carrier...seeing as how it's kinda hard for me to talk about them. It'll be easier if I just show you," she sadly smiled as she adorned the adjustable vizor-shaped device and focused on an image of her creators.

Within seconds a full-sized hologram of a beautiful femme appeared and smiled down at her. She was Praxion and looked similar to Filly except she had doorwings as opposed to winglets. Her armor was a scarlet red color with silver accents and her helm resembled a frilled crown. Her gentle optics met those of her daughter, _{Hello there, little one.}_

Filly felt tears in her optics as she looked upon her Carrier before another familiar figure appeared before her. He was very tall and broad in size, but not nearly as big as Optimus. His armor was bright orange in color while trace amounts of yellow could be seen here and there. _{Hello, my wee femme. Ye've grown up so fast.}_

Filly softly started to cry as she looked up at her creators, to which they knelt before her and attempted to hug her, but passed through her frame as they were only holographs. The tiny femme desperately tried to hug them, but only ended up hugging air. Her winglets dropped in sadness and her optics started to leak from underneath the holo-projector._{I just...miss you both...so much,}_ she spoke in between quiet sobs.

_{And we miss you too, sweetspark,}_ her Carrier spoke in a soothing voice. _{But we'll see you again when your time comes. For now, enjoy your life with your new creators and the Autobots. We love you so much.}_

As Filly continued to bask in the false presence of her Creators, the lab doors opened, revealing the third Autobot Praxion: Smokescreen. "Hey Wheeljack, you wanted me to take a look at…," his optics widened upon seeing the holograms in front of him. "By the Allspark...Afterglow? Jackknife?"

Prowl, Jazz and Wheeljack looked over at the Praxion before Filly asked in her little voice, "You knew my Creators?"

He looked at the little femme and responded in a shocked tone, "Those are your Creators?!"

She nodded, "Yea. But they were offlined vorns ago. Wheeljack was letting me use his holo-projector to see them again. Did you know them?"

"I did," he nodded as his optics started to mist, "Afterglow...was my little sister."

Everyone in the lab stood in shock before Filly spoke up again, "You're my Uncle Smokey?!"

He chuckled at the nickname and gave a nod, "Yes; that was the name Afterglow gave me when we were younglings." Smokescreen lowered his doorwings as he looked upon the little femme, "I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you. It's just that I was unaware of your existence and relation to me. When I left Cybertron, Afterglow was just finishing her apprenticeship as a medic and Jackknife was working as a welder. I knew they were close, but I didn't know they sparkbonded, let alone sparked you...I'm so, so sorry."

She took off the holo-projector and approached the Praxion with a smile, "It's okay Uncle Smokey. You didn't know about me and I didn't know about you...or at least, I didn't know much about you. Carrier never called you by your designation, just your nickname. She didn't like to talk much about her family because it caused her too much pain, but I know she missed you very much."

"And I missed her too...I still miss her."

She surprised him by hugging his leg, "I miss her too, but I'm so happy to have found you!"

A smile made its way across his face, "And I'm overjoyed to know that a piece of my sister still lives on." He knelt down and hugged the tiny femme while his optics began leaking, "You look just like her."

A small giggle escaped her vocalizer as she looked at her uncle, "You really think so?"

He nodded, "I do. You have her sweet face and gentle optics."

"Will you tell me more about her and Sire? I don't really know much about them other than where they came from and that they loved each other very much."

"That they did. Of course, anyone could tell they were in love just by looking at them." He smiled over at Jazz and Prowl before facing his niece once more, "Of course, the same can be said about those two," he gestured towards said mechs who gave him knowing looks in return.

Filly giggled, "I know. Baba and Papa remind me of Sire and Carrier in that sense…," she glanced over at her adoptive creators and smiled as they sent her loving vibes through their bonds.

Jazz warmly looked at his daughter and asked in a Carrier-like tone, "Would ya like to retreat to the rec room so Smokescreen can share some stories with ya? The Lab isn't the most ideal place for storytelling. No offence, Wheeljack."

"None taken," the scientist smiled from beneath his face guard.

Filly nodded in response to her Baba's question, "Oh yes please. While I want to keep looking around and learn more about what all these inventions are, I really want to hear some stories from Uncle Smokey." She warmly hugged Smokescreen again, making the older Praxion smile with newfound happiness.

Prowl emitted a faint chuckle before addressing the group, "Very well. We'll pick up on the rest of the tour tomorrow. Thank you for allowing us to visit your lab, Wheeljack. We'll be sure to return again sometime in the near future...provided you're not in the middle of a sensitive experiment."

"Yes, I do tend to get a little carried away with my inventions, but they usually turn out alright in the end...most of the time. Either way, feel free to stop by anytime. I'll be more than happy to show Filly some of my other inventions and explain their functions."

Said youngling beamed up at the scientist, "Really? I'd love that! I can't wait to see how they work and I'm curious to see your latest creation once it's completed."

"And you will see it in due time. For now, enjoy the rest of your day and don't be a stranger. My door is always open for visitors."

She smiled and nodded before Smokescreen stood up and looked over at said mech, "I hope you don't mind if I step out for a while. I'll be sure to stop back again later to take a look at those new smoke grenade designs."

He made a shooing gesture with his servo," No worries. You go spend time with your niece. The designs will still be here later when you return."

"Thanks, Jack."

"Anytime...Smokey," he chuckled before returning to work.


	7. Chapter 7

**(Disclaimer: I do not own the Transformers; just my OC's)**

**Authors Note: Hello my lovely readers. I'm back! Due to the pandemic, I will be landlocked for a while, but hey, this gives me time to work on my stories. I am so, so sorry for not being online for the last few months, but that couldn't be helped. I was working out at sea. But now that I'm back I will try to update my stories and upload new chapters. I also have other FF's that I have not uploaded yet, but intend to do so at my leisure. Now, without further delay, let's continue the story.**

Chapter 7

"...So that's when I realized Afterglow had been sneaking off to see Jackknife. Of course she begged me not to tell our creators…"

"You didn't tell them did you?" Filly asked with wide optics as she sat on her Uncle's knee and listened to his story.

He smiled and shook his helm, "No. I knew they weren't very fond of Jackknife, so I kept their relationship a secret."

"Oh good; cause I might not have existed if you hadn't." From where they were sitting, Jazz and Prowl shared a look: they could no longer imagine their lives without Filly in the picture.

Smokescreen gave them all a reassuring smile and emitted a slight chuckle, "Oh no, I'm sure you'd still be here. Afterglow was a very persistent femme and Jackknife wasn't one to give up on a challenge. They would've still ended up together regardless of what our creators said or did."

"Why did your creators not like my Sire?" She asked with a tilt of her helm.

The Praxion leaned back in his chair and sighed, "They were rather old-fashioned in their way of thinking. By that, I mean they hoped Afterglow would bond with a medic or a politician. Essentially, they wanted her to be with someone of a higher ranking class."

"Oh…," her winglets drooped slightly, "So they probably wouldn't have liked me because of who my Sire was."

His optics softened as he gently placed a servo on her shoulder, "Now that's not true. They would've adored you. I know they wanted grand-sparks, but sadly, they never got the opportunity. Both of them were offlined when Praxus was bombed."

"What were their designations? Carrier never told me much about them because it caused her too much pain. She only told me that they were both mechs."

Smokescreen sadly smiled in memory, "Their designations were Shell-Shock and Haze. Shell-Shock was our Sire and Haze was our Carrier. Both were strict yet very compassionate mechs." His optics dimmed and his smile fell, "I was out fighting Decepticons when I felt their bonds extinguish from my spark. I've never felt such grief as I did that night...I could barely focus on fighting, but I had to keep my wits about me or else I'd be offlined." *sigh* "After the battle ended and my injuries were patched up, I was sent to Praxus to help search for survivors. While there, I met up with Afterglow and we just held each other and cried until we mustered up the strength to search for our creators' remains in what was left of our home. When we found them, they were embracing one another like they knew the end was near." He regained his composure and shook his helm, "Apologies...I shouldn't be talking about such atrocities when you've endured so much already."

She hugged his arm, "It's okay, Uncle Smokey. You needed to talk about it and let it out. One day I'll have to talk about my own experiences...but not today."

"No...Not today. I will not ask you to relive such horrors." He gently hugged her back and smiled, "Now, on a different note: I understand Jazz and Prowl are your adopted creators, correct?"

She nodded and beamed up at him, "Yep! Papa and Baba formed a creator bond with me shortly after I arrived on Earth."

He looked over a said mechs, "I thank you both for offering to care for her. I honestly can't think of a better pair to raise her than you two."

Jazz smiled at the Praxion, "Aw, no thanks are needed. Prowler and I are just doin' what comes naturally. We've wanted a family of our own for so long an' now, thanks to Filly, we finally have one. She completes us."

"That she does," Prowl agreed. "We may have only had her in our lives for a short while, but she's filled a void in our sparks. I understand we'll never replace her birth creators, but we are honored to be caring for her and raising her as our own creation."

At his words, Filly sent an array of loving vibes through her bond, making both of her creators smile with adoration. She then climbed down from Smokescreen's lap and approached the two of them, to which she was then picked up and sandwiched in between her creators as they gently hugged her and kissed her cheeks.

XXXXX

-Later that Evening-

Filly and her creators were on their way back to the Med Bay for an update on her recovery status. Smokescreen had left to return to the Lab to review new smoke grenade designs with Wheeljack, but he promised Filly that he would be happy to share more stories with her later.

As they entered the Med Bay, Filly clung onto Jazz's leg and started to tremble: she was scared. Not of Ratchet or any of the other medics, but the thought of enduring another virus and stasis-lock. Sensing his daughter's fear, the TIC gently scooped her off the ground and protectively held her against his chassis, right over where his spark was located. "It's okay, sparklet. Prowl an' I are right here for ya."

"Indeed. You have nothing to fear," the SIC reassured and offered his servo to Filly, who graciously took a hold of it and squeezed his digits while Ratchet scanned her.

The CMO offered a kind smile to the small femmling and stated in a professional yet caring tone, "You appear to be recovering just fine," he ran a quick scan, "Your systems are now at 73% and should finish repairing within a few days if not sooner."

"I'm not going to contract another virus or fall into stasis-lock again am I?" She asked in a small, scared voice.

Ratchet shook his helm, "Not on my watch, little one. As long as you refrain from using the internet for the next several days and allow your systems to recover on their own, you should be perfectly fine. Now, in the meantime, you should have your creators show you the improvements made to your shared living space. I think you'll like it."

Filly's optics lit up as she looked at Jazz and Prowl, "I don't have to recharge in the Med Bay anymore?"

Jazz shook his helm and smiled, "Nope. Prowler an' I rearranged our living quarters to accommodate ya, sparklet."

"Really?!" She beamed.

At her eagerness, both of her creators gave a nod and smiled. "Seeing as how it's late, we should head over there now and turn in for the night," Prowl stated. He looked at the CMO and gave a tilt of his helm, "Thank you, Ratchet. We'll be sure to bring her back for another scan tomorrow morning."

"Of course. Now get out of my Med Bay and get some recharge," he stated in a gruff yet caring tone, making Filly snicker.

XXXXX

Upon entering the private living quarters, Filly's optics widened: the room had literally been divided into two sections. Granted, there was still plenty of space but Filly now had her own private quarters. Basically, it was as if Jazz and Prowl sectioned off part of their room and made a large walk-in closet, except it wasn't a closet, it was a child's berthroom. With a knowing smile Jazz asked, "Would you like to see your room, sweetspark?"

She fluttered her winglets and happily nodded, "Yes, please!"

He chuckled and opened the door leading into her smaller room. While it wasn't nearly as big as his and Prowl's shared space, it was just right for their little femmling. There was a single-sized berth resting alongside the back wall and beside it was a small desk and chair. The walls were bare, leaving them open for Filly to decorate later on if she desired, but the ceiling was completely covered by a mural of the starry night sky.

"Wow…," she stared in awe as she took in the realistic artwork. "Did Sunny paint this?"

"Indeed he did," Prowl stated. "He wanted to add his own personal touch to your room. There's an added surprise to it as well," he then turned off the light, to which the painted stars suddenly glowed in the dark, allowing Filly to enjoy the evening sky in the comfort of her own room.

"This is amazing! It's like I'm really looking up at the night sky." She admired the artwork before approaching the desk and picking up one of the data pads.

"Those contain digital copies of human literature," Jazz smiled as he glanced at the data pad Filly was holding, "Your Papa an' I spent almost a week compiling them together. We made sure everything was appropriate for your age and we alphabetized them by author."

She scrolled through the data pad she was holding before glancing up at her creators, "Would you read me a berthtime story? Please?"

At her request both Jazz and Prowl shared a tender look before settling themselves down. Jazz sat at the head of the berth with Filly tucked under the warm thermal blanket, while Prowl sat at the foot of the berth and listened as Jazz began to read. "All children, except one, grow up."


	8. Chapter 8

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just my OC(s))**

**(Authors note: Hello my darlings. I know it's been a little while and I apologize for the wait. I've been working on other FF's lately. Some of them I've yet to post online because I'm constantly trying to improve them. Also because of the pandemic I've been keeping myself busy with other hobbies. I will continue to work on my FF's but know that I'm trying to get other stories viewer ready. This story is among one of my favorites to work on and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.)**

Chapter 8

-The next day-

Filly climbed off of her berth and silently made her way out of her room and over towards her creators. From what she could see, both mechs were still recharging and unaware of her presence. She approached Prowl's side of the berth and climbed up, to which she then began poking his arm, "Papa...Papa…"

The SIC opened one of his optics and smiled at his little femme, "Good morning, Filly." He reached over and gently rubbed the top of her helm, which she responded by happily leaning into his touch. "Are you ready for your morning checkup?"

She fluttered her winglets and gave him a gap-toothed smile, "Yep! I wanna be all better so I can play again. Can we go to the Med Bay now? Please, please, please, pleeeease?"

He softly chuckled at her eagerness, "In a little bit, sweetspark." At the small pout she made, Prowl cupped her cheek and said, "Give me five kliks to wake up your Carrier and then we'll go over to the Med Bay. Does that sound good?"

She smiled and gave him a hug before climbing off the berth and heading out of the room. Once Filly was outside and the door was closed, Prowl tenderly looked down at his sparkmate and gently ran the back of his digits along his face.

From underneath his visor, Jazz opened his optics and smiled up at the SIC, "What are ya doin' dearspark?"

A warm tug pulled at the Praxion's spark chamber as he looked upon his beloved, "I was just thinking how lucky I am to be bonded to you."

"Aw Prowler…," he placed a servo on his cheek. "I love you."

"And I love you," he then closed the distance and kissed him with a form of tenderness and passion that made the TIC's spark sing.

A soft moan escaped Jazz's vocalizer as he suddenly felt Prowl's lip plates trail over to his neck cables where he gently began nipping them with his denta. "Oh dearspark…," he arched his back struts and emitted a gasp as Prowl sensually ran his digits along his frame.

The SIC feathered kissed back up to his faceplates and sighed, "I wish we could continue this exchange, but we should meet up with Filly before she comes back in and starts asking questions."

"I know," he caressed his face with one servo while the other suddenly cupped his groin plating. "We'll just have to wait until later," he winked from underneath his visor. Though his spike was encased underneath his protective armor, Prowl emitted a strained groan as Jazz's digits teased him. Both mechs shared another passionate kiss before prying themselves off the berth and heading over to the door.

Upon seeing her creators exit the room, Filly's winglets fluttered with excitement, "Can we go see Ratchet now?"

Jazz titled his helm and smiled down at their daughter, "I neva' thought I'd see the day when a younglin' was actually excited to go see the doc bot."

She nodded and gave him a gap-toothed grin, "I wanna get my exam done so I can finally go outside and play."

"Oh, so that's yer motive," he chuckled.

"Yep!"

"Well, that sounds wonderful, lil' spark. In fact, a've already got an idea on what we should do if Ratchet gives ya the all clear."

"What is it, Baba? What is it?" Her winglets fluttered in excitement, making both of her creators smile with adoration.

"I was thinkin' that Prowler an' I could take you out to find a vehicle to scan for your alt form. Seein' as how ya wanna go outside and take in the beauty and wonder that is Earth, you'll be needing some tricked out wheels of yer own."

She looked up at her creators with wide optics, "Really?! I'll get to have my own alt form?!"

Prowl nodded and smiled, "Indeed you will, sparklet. It's necessary for us to have one while navigating and traveling the roads of this planet. Plus, they help us hide among the humans and provide camouflage from the Decepticons."

At the thought of having her own wheels, Filly's optics lit up. She eagerly led her creators down the hallway and through the Ark until they finally came upon the Med Bay where upon entering, they were greeted by the CMO.

"Good morning Filly, are you here for your exam?"

She happily nodded and fluttered her winglets, "Yep! I'm ready for my scan, Ratchet."

He chuckled before complying with her request. After running a systems check and evaluating her condition, Ratchet gave the three of them a smile, "Well Filly, your systems are finally at 100% recovery. Though, just to be safe, you should refrain from browsing the internet for at least a few more days. Of course, you're probably more eager to go outside and explore, correct?"

"Uh-huh. Papa and Baba told me that if I was fully recovered, they'd take me out to find a vehicle to scan." She happily smiled, "I can't wait to go outside! I've never left the base since I arrived on this planet."

"Well when you do go outside, just remember to stay hidden. Until you find a vehicle that can properly accommodate your smaller frame, you should stay within the safety of your creators alternative forms."

"Oh I will. From what I've learned, I'm about the same height as an average human, so it shouldn't be difficult for me to hide."

"Well, regardless, you should have some of the other Autobots accompany the three of you just as an added precaution."

"I've already taken that into consideration," Prowl informed and gave his daughter a smile. "Smokescreen, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe will be joining us on our outing today. Bluestreak and Bumblebee will catch up with us in about an hour after they return from exploration duty."

Jazz picked her up and gently booped her on the olfactory sensor, "So, are ya ready to meet up with yer Uncle Smokey and the Terror Twins?"

"Yes, please," Filly happily fluttered her winglets in excitement.

XXXXX

Shortly after leaving the Med Bay, Filly and her creators met up with the Autobots who would be accompanying them. The tiny femme practically leapt out of Jazz's arms and into those of her Uncle upon seeing him. "Uncle Smokey, Uncle Smokey, guess what!"

"What?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I'm all better now! Ratchet said the virus is gone and my systems are fully healed."

"That's wonderful news, sparklet," he smiled, hugging her close and mentally thanking Primus for saving her.

Upon seeing the twins enter the vicinity, Filly's optics lit up and she emitted a happy shriek, "Sunny! Sides!"

Sensing that she wanted to be with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, Smokescreen chuckled and gently placed her on the floor, to which she happily darted over to them and was immediately scooped up by the frontliners and sandwiched in between them. Normally, Sunstreaker wasn't the hugging/loving sort, but Filly brought out his tenderness and at the moment, he didn't give a flying frag what anyone thought about it. Right now, Filly was the only bot (besides his twin) who mattered. "Hey there, bright spark," Sunstreaker nuzzled her helm, "Did old 'Hatchet' give you a clean bill of health?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yep! I'm all better now. I missed you both so much and I love the painting you made for me, Sunny! Thank you!"

A rare chuckle escaped his vocalizer as he gave in to the tiny femme's praise and affections, "I'm glad to hear that. I wanted you to have something to look at when you lie down for recharge."

"Well it's perfect," she nuzzled his face before turning her attention to Sideswipe, "I'm glad you two are coming with us. Will you help me look for a pretty vehicle to scan?"

"Of course we will," he smiled and gently booped her olfactory sensor. "When it comes to style, Sunny and I are experts. We'll help you find the perfect alt mode and afterwards we'll take you out for a drive around the base perimeter."

"Oh yes, please," she giggled as they nuzzled her helm.

Once the twins had their share of Filly cuddles, they placed her on the floor and transformed along with Smokescreen and her creators. :Ya ready to go outside, sweetspark?: Jazz asked through his speakers and opened his passenger door, inviting his daughter to hop in.

"Yes, please! I wanna see what the Earth is like for myself," she climbed into the front seat, to which he closed the door and gently buckled her up, giving her a loving hug while using the seat belt in place of his servos. Filly was mindful of her winglets and made sure they didn't bump into anything sensitive as her Baba rolled alongside her Uncle while her Papa took the lead and the twins covered the rear.

Even though Jazz's windows were tinted, Filly watched in awe as the familiar metal walls of the Ark soon disappeared and were replaced by sunlight, blue skies and rocky landscapes. Though the base was located in the desert, she couldn't help but be amazed at this new scenery. Sensing his daughter's excitement, the TIC internally smiled and asked, :What do ya think, babydoll?:

She stared in wonder at the passing scenery, "It's so bright. Can we stop to play out there, Baba?"

:In a bit, lil' spark. We gotta find ya an alternate form first before we turn ya loose. As much as I'd like to let ya run around and play, I'm afraid it would be too dangerous for you to do so without a disguise,: his voice was serious but gentle, :If you were to go outside now, you'd be exposed to a variety of danger. You're the Autobots' most cherished gift. Our light amidst the darkness and our greatest joy. We can't allow you to be discovered by our enemies and taken from us. Do you understand, sweetspark?:

She nodded her helm, "Yes, Baba, I understand. I'm just excited to finally be outside the base."

:I know, sweetspark. But I promise, once we find ya an alternate form, we'll take ya somewhere scenic to play. Does that sound good?:

"Yea," she snuggled into the seat and emitted a soft purring sound as the seat belt gently squeezed her in a hug.


	9. Chapter 9

"English"

::Comm. link::

_{Cybertronian}_

**[HUD notifications/scans]**

_::Bond conversations::_

:Speaker speech:

**"Intercom"**

_Memories/flashbacks/stasis_

_{:Ghost/apparition speech:}_

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just my OC(s).)**

**(Authors Note: Hello my darling readers! I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted the last chapter but I've been working on other stories and projects lately. I'm still very much in love with this story, so bare with me as I continue to post whenever my other projects allow me a moment to focus on this particular story. Thank you for taking the time to read this FF and I hope you all are enjoying it as much as I do.)**

Chapter 9

Filly continued to watch the scenery pass by for almost an hour until her optics honed in on an approaching human city. She stared in wonder at the various buildings, curious as to what purposes they served while humans went about their business, completely oblivious to the Cybertronians coexisting among them. As far as they knew, they were just ordinary vehicles, which is exactly what the Autobots wanted them to believe. The less they knew of their existence, the better.

Shortly after arriving in the city, Prowl's voice sounded in through the speakers as he sent out a Comm. link to the group, ::Alright, our objective is to keep an optic out for a vehicle that Filly can scan. Seeing as how her frame is too small for a standard automobile, the local dealerships are out of the question. Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, you two scout the residential areas, Smokescreen, you and I will head downtown and check through the business district. Jazz, feel free to take Filly sightseeing, but refrain from leaving the city limits and keep her inside your alt form at all costs.::

::Can do, Prowler.:: Once the Comm. link ended, Jazz asked his little femme, :Wha'dya think, sweetspark? Wanna take a tour of the city?:

She happily nodded, "Oh yes please!"

At her enthusiasm, Jazz emitted a chuckle before splitting off from the group. While he remained hopeful that they'd find a vehicle for her to scan, Jazz was enjoying having her ride inside his alt form. The little movements she would make made him smile, to which he would send her an array of loving vibes through their bond before sending some off to Prowl.

As they toured around the city, Filly curiously asked in a worried tone, "Do you think we'll run into any Decepticons?"

At her question, Jazz stated, :I pray to Primus that we don't, but if they do happen to show up, I'll make sure you're safe. Prowler said ta keep ya inside my alt form, so that's exactly what I'm gonna do. Now, if I have to transform, I'll shift ya into ma sparklin' hold for a little while.:

"Oh, I remember my Carrier's sparkling hold. It was warm and safe and roomy when I was smaller. She kept me in there a lot when she had to work because she didn't like not having me close by. I guess she was afraid I'd get hurt or we'd be separated if the Decepticons suddenly attacked our location."

:She was wise to keep ya close, sweetspark.: He gently hugged her with the seatbelt, making her smile.

As they rolled along the busy street, Filly looked in the rear view mirror and asked, "Baba, what were you and Papa like before I came to Earth?"

:Well, we were pretty much the same as we are now, lil' spark. Before you came into our lives, we were trying to get sparked, but hadn't been successful in our attempts. Now that yer here, we've been able to fill a void that has plagued us for vorns.:

"But don't you still want to have a sparkling of your own someday?"

:Filly, you _are_ our sparkling,: Jazz's voice was serious sounding yet laced with so much love. He gently hugged her with the seatbelt and spoke in a soothing tone, :We may not have sparked you, but that doesn't change the fact that we love you and think of you as our own creation. You mean so much to us, to all of us, and we would never allow you to feel that you aren't deserving of our love or that we would ignore you if I suddenly became sparked. Your Papa and I love you so much and while we still want to create a new spark together someday, that doesn't change the fact that you will always be our sparkling and we will _always_ love you.:

At his supportive and kind words, Filly felt her optics starting to leak out of happiness for she knew Jazz meant everything he said. "Baba…," she turned around and hugged as much of the seat as she could while he used the seatbelt to hug her once more and internally wishing he wasn't among humans so that he could transform and properly hug her.

:There, there, my lil' spark. No need to cry. I'm right here. I love you, Filly.:

"I love you too, Baba," she snuggled into his seat and smiled when she felt gentle pulses caress her spark as he sent loving vibes through the bond they shared.

XXXXX

After nearly half an hour of driving around, Sideswipe's voice suddenly chimed in through Jazz's speakers via Comm. link ::Hey Jazz, Sunny and I found a vehicle for Filly to scan. It's located in the ritzy neighborhood north of the shopping center. I think she'll like it.::

::Alrighty, Sides, we'll head that way. I'll inform Smokescreen and Prowl of the situation. You and Sunstreaker continue to patrol the area and keep an optic out for any signs of Decepticon activity.::

::Will do.:: The Comm. link disconnected, to which Jazz then contacted his sparkmate while heading off towards the twins' current location.

::Prowler, Smokescreen, what are your current locations?::

The SIC's voice sounded in through the speakers, ::I'm on Baxter Street heading west towards Davis Boulevard.::

Smokescreen then replied, ::And I'm currently on route towards Smith Avenue and should be nearing the shopping center in about five kliks.::

::Well you two don't need to worry about findin' Filly a vehicle anymore cause Sunny and Sides apparently found one that'll suit her smaller stature. If nothing else, she can use it as a temporary disguise until she fines one she likes. I'm on route towards their location as we speak.::

::Alright then, drive safe and inform us if you pick up on any Decepticon activity.::

::Can do, Prowler,:: Jazz smiled as he felt his sparkmate send loving pulses through their bond. Once the Comm. link was disconnected, he asked his little femme, :So, you excited to finally scan a vehicle, sweetspark?:

She happily nodded, "Oh yes, yes, yes! I can't wait to have my own alt form! I don't care what it looks like so long as it'll accommodate my size. And like you said, I can use it as a temporary disguise until I find something else, but knowing Sunny and Sides, it must be something amazing because they're all about style."

:True dat, lil' spark,: he chuckled while following Sideswipe's coordinates to the location of the vehicle in question. After several minutes of navigating through human traffic, Jazz came upon the ritzy suburbia Sides mentioned, to which he soon spotted the Lambo twins patrolling the neighborhood. ::Alright Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, we're in the area so where's the vehicle you were talking about?::

::It's located down Darcy Street in the driveway of house number 4927. Trust us, you'll know it when you see it,:: there was an obvious smile in Sunstreaker's voice.

Filly eagerly glanced out of the window, watching the houses pass by as they made their way down Darcy Street and approached house number 4927. What they saw in the driveway of the large manor, left them both in awe: It was a black colored Licensed Mercedes Benz CLA45 12V Kids Ride-On Car with an MP3 USB Player. Obviously this little vehicle was not meant for on-road traffic, but it was just the right size for Filly and would serve its purpose at providing her with an alt mode to transform into.

At her excitement, Jazz internally smiled and asked, :Whaddaya think, Filly? Is this vehicle suitable to your liking?:

She nodded, "Oh yes, it is! It's perfect!"

There was a chuckle heard as the Comm. link was open to the twins. ::We knew you'd like it. Sunny and I had stumbled upon other smaller vehicles, but this one stood out the most and had your designation written all over it.::

"Thank you for finding this for me. I'll go ahead and scan it," she then focused her attention on the smaller vehicle and scanned its frame into her processor. "Can we go somewhere isolated so I can transform?"

Sunstreaker answered, ::There's an abandoned warehouse in the southern district of the city. We'll Comm. Prowl and Smokescreen and inform them of the situation while we escort you both there.::

::Sounds good to me,:: Jazz replied with a smile in his voice. He then followed Sideswipe while Sunstreaker rolled along behind him. As they left the suburban/residential district and made their way downtown, Filly eagerly watched the buildings pass by, excited to get out and transform.

XXXXX

Upon arriving at the large, abandoned structure, Jazz and the twins rolled past the gate and entered the warehouse before quickly scouting the structure to make sure that it was safe to transform and that there weren't any humans in the area. Once it was safe, the twins transformed first while Filly exited Jazz's alt form, to which he then transformed and smiled down at her, "Alright, sweetspark, show us your new form."

Filly closed her optics and concentrated her energy on transforming before the sound of shifting hydraulics and gears was heard. Before the Autobots now rested an apricot colored mini Mercedes Benz. Filly happily reved her little engine and asked, :What do you think?:

Jazz chuckled and knelt in front of her, "I think ya look amazing, lil' spark."

"Yea, Filly, you look great," Sideswipe agreed while Sunstreaker crossed his arms and smirked as she revved her engine again before taking off in a little plume of dust and drove around their legs.

She then stopped and transformed, looking at the improvements to her armor. While it was still basically the same, she now had little wheels on heels and headlights on her chassis. The tiny femmling fluttered her winglets and looked up at the twins, "Now that I have a vehicle form, can I race with you two?"

At the disapproving look Jazz was giving them, Sunstreaker knelt before Filly and gently rubbed the top of her helm while being mindful of her fins, "I'm afraid you're still a bit young for high speed drag racing, bright spark, but we'd be happy to give you driving lessons sometime."

"Really?!" She beamed, fluttering her winglets in excitement, making the mechs chuckle with mirth.

"Of course, sweetspark," Sideswipe knelt down and booped her on the olfactory sensor, making her giggle. "Sunny and I are excellent drivers. But before we take you out joyriding, you'll have to create yourself a holoform."

"Why?" She tilted her helm in curiosity as she looked to her Baba for answers.

Jazz smiled and stated, "Because your alt form doesn't have a roof and by human standards, your form is considered a toy to some degree. This just means that you need a driver behind the wheel or else it draws unwanted attention to yourself. We all have holoforms but we don't always use them when we drive among humans because of our tinted windows. But if we were to take you to a human recreational area for the afternoon, then we'd have to use them."

"So if I wanted to drive around the humans, I'd have to use a holoform to blend in further?"

"Basically, yes. I'm sorry, sweetspark."

She smiled, "That's okay, Baba. I did say that I wanted to study humans and what better way than to use a holoform to get close to them."

"Eww, you actually want to mingle with those fleshbags?" Sunstreaker asked with a look of disgust. "They're so squishy and greasy and organic. It's unnatural."

"Maybe to us, but to them it's natural. I want to see humans up close for myself and see if they're like us."

"Trust me, bright spark, they're not."

"But we don't really know that. What if they're different in appearance, but similar in other things?"

"I'm almost hesitant to ask what similarities they could possibly share with us," Sunstreaker stood back up and emitted a slight grunt.

Filly was about to speak when she heard vehicles approaching their location. On instinct, she transformed into her alt mode, but thankfully didn't have to flee because said vehicles ended up being Prowl and Smokescreen. She rolled over to them and honked her little horn. :Papa, Uncle Smokey! Look at my new form! Isn't it amazing?!:

The two Praxions transformed and smiled down at her. "You look great, sparklet," Smokescreen chuckled as she circled around him.

"Indeed," Prowl agreed. "This new form will serve you well and help you blend in among the natives of this planet. I assume you were informed about the holoforms?"

She transformed and nodded, "Yea, Baba told me I'll have to create one when we get back home. I can't wait to see what my human holoform will look like and I can't wait to see all of yours as well."

"Good luck convincing Sunny to use his," Sideswipe smirked, earning him a glare from his twin.

"Aww, please Sunny? Pweeeease…," the tiny femme used her cuteness to her advantage and looked up at the yellow frontliner with large, innocent optics that sent a pang of guilt through his spark.

With a defeated sigh, Sunstreaker gave Filly a small hint of a smile, "Fine…But don't expect me to use it whenever Sideswipe and I take you out driving."

She gave him a gap-toothed grin and fluttered her winglets, "I won't."

XXXXX

As Jazz had promised earlier, Filly was now playing in a scenic area while her guardians remained close by. Granted, they weren't anywhere near a human settlement, but they remained vigilant regardless.

Filly was currently sitting on the ground watching a rabbit nibble on some desert grass with curious fascination. She hadn't been able to get close to any organics before now. Her optics focused on the creature with wide wonder as she slowly made her way closer to the little animal, without it noticing. She slowly reached out to try and touch it but stopped herself for fear of frightening it away. Deciding not to make her presence known, she left it to its nibbling while silently crawling back to where she was before.

Looking up, Filly noticed three small glints of metal in the sky and asked, "What's that, Papa?"

The Praxion glanced up where she was pointing and narrowed his optics, "Decepticon Seekers." He looked over at his sparkmate and stated, "Get Filly out of here while we hold them off!"

Jazz gave him a nod of understanding before scooping up their tiny femme and transforming into his alt mode while placing her in the front seat and buckling her up. "Baba, what's going on?! Are we under attack?!"

:I'm not sure, babydoll. Sometimes these Seekers appear outta nowhere and pick fights for no reason.:

"Why? We didn't do anything wrong."

:I don't know, sweetspark. My guess is they're just bored and looking for a fight. Regardless, we cannot allow you to be discovered, understood?:

"Yes, Baba, I understand."

:Atta femme. Now, if things get rough an' I have to transform, I'll shift ya into ma sparklin' hold, okay?:

"Okay, Baba." She clung onto the seatbelt and watched as the scenery passed by in a blur before she noticed a dark, foreboding shadow appear overhead that was followed by the loud scream of a jet engine.

Seconds later, Filly found herself being shifted around as Jazz suddenly transformed and moved her into his sparkling hold for safety. She trembled as memories of her past encounters with Decepticons crept into her processor, but those thoughts were quickly washed away as she felt herself being cradled in a cocoon of warmth and safety. The only light she could see was the warm glow of Jazz's spark as it pulsed and flared within its protective, transparent casing.


	10. Chapter 10

"English"

::Comm. link::

_{Cybertronian}_

**[HUD notifications/scans]**

_::Bond conversations::_

:Speaker speech:

**"Intercom"**

_Memories/flashbacks/stasis_

_{:Ghost/apparition speech:}_

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, just my OC's)**

**(Authors Note: Hello my lovely readers! I'm so happy to be uploading another chapter for you all to enjoy. I apologize for the delay but life keeps me busy. I have other stories I've been working on and I had a family issue to deal with recently, but everything is fine now. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I look forward to writing more and continuing it further. In the meantime, keep safe and keep writing.)**

Chapter 10

As the outside battle continued to wage on, Filly felt her creators send reassuring vibes through their bonds, but it did little to squelch the memories she harbored within her processor. While she felt safe inside Jazz's sparkling hold, she worried for everyone else's safety and mentally cursed herself for not being able to fight or help them. She despised this feeling of uselessness and weakness, but she knew at this stage of her development, she wouldn't have had access to her battle coding and weapon mods yet. That would come later when she reached adolescence. Right now, all she could do was stay hidden. That's literally all a youngling of her age was capable of doing, hence why the youth centers back on Cybertron were easy targets for surprise Decepticon attacks and bombings. At least that's what her birth Carrier told her once when she inquired about it.

Little Filly had never seen another youngling or a sparkling during her time on Cybertron, nor had she seen any upon arriving on Earth. She truly was the last youngling to have survived. That thought made her realize just how vulnerable she was, as well as how uniquely special and important she was to the Autobots. Here they were engaging Decepticons and risking their own safety and lives just to protect her. The thought was touching but also troubling. She hated all this fighting. She hated seeing bots get hurt. She hated worrying about losing her new family. Her optics began to leak when she felt a gentle pulse sweep over her trembling frame.

_::It's alright, sweetspark. I gotcha an I ain't gonna let no Cons getcha. Yer safe, my lil' spark.::_

_::I know, Baba...I'm just scared.::_

_::I know, baby. But just remember that yer among Autobots now an nobody's gonna take ya from us.::_

Comforted by Jazz's words, Filly relaxed and tried to listen to what was happening outside of the sparkling hold, but because the protective chamber was mostly soundproof (which was meant to resemble the same environment as the Carrier's creation chamber and provide a bitlet (newborn), sparkling or a youngling with further comfort by eliminating outside noise that might disturb their recharge and frighten them), she couldn't really hear anything other than the gentle humming of Jazz's spark from within it's casing.

Feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion hit her, Filly was soon lulled into recharge by the slight rocking of the sparkling hold mixed with the gentle humming of Jazz's spark.

XXXXX

-Later-

Upon requesting a ground bridge after their brief battle with the Decepticon Seekers, the Autobots were ordered to report to the Med Bay for examination and treatment. While Prowl, Jazz and Smokescreen were uninjured, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were a bit dented here and there.

"For the love of Primus, can't you two go one fragging mission without an injury?!" Ratchet growled at the terror twins as he worked on popping out their dents and patching up their mesh wounds.

"Hey, if you think we look rough, you should see the other guy," Sideswipe smirked.

He rolled his optics, "Dare I ask?" The CMO suddenly noticed the absence of their smallest member, "Where's Filly?!"

"She's safe, Doc Bot," Jazz gave him a reassuring smirk. "I got 'er in my sparklin' hold for safekeeping," he placed a servo over his chest where his sparkling hold was located. He then slightly retracted his armor, allowing Filly to gently roll out into his awaiting servos. "Here she is, safe an' sound."

The tiny femme emitted an involuntairy yawn and rubbed her optics as they adjusted to the bright lights of the Med Bay. "What's going on? Did we win?"

"We sure did, sweetspark," Sunstreaker replied with a fond smile at her cuteness.

Upon seeing the twins injured, Filly felt her optics leak, "Sunny, Sides, you're hurt…"

Sensing his youngling wanted to be with them, Jazz brought her over and handed her to Sideswipe where the younger twin hugged her close and gently rubbed her back while being mindful of her winglets. "It's alright, Filly. Sunny and I are fine. These injuries are nothing compared to what we normally receive on the battlefield."

"Indeed," his brother replied with a faint smile as he gently wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"As much as I hate to agree with these bolt heads, they're right," Ratchet commented as he continued to patch up an energon leak on Sunstreaker's arm.

She looked up at the twins and said in a small voice, "I just don't like seeing any of you hurt."

"Oh trust us, bright spark, the Cons are way worse off than we are. They'll probably be grounded for a quartex or so depending how skilled their medics are."

"What did you do to them?" She curiously asked.

"I'm not sure you should know the exact details of our fight," Prowl stated as a matter-of-factly.

"Oh come on Prowl, she's gonna find out sooner or later," Sideswipe noted, to which the SIC was about to interject when he felt Jazz send him reassuring vibes through their bond.

With a sigh he caved, "Very well, but please leave out any graphic details. She doesn't need to be traumatized further."

"We would never fill her innocent processor with such violent graphics," Sunstreaker assured.

"See that you don't. Now, if you all will excuse us, Jazz and I should brief Optimus on the surprise attack." He looked over at his daughter and asked, "Will you be alright staying here while we speak with the Prime?"

She nodded, "Yea, I'll be fine. Besides, I've got Uncle Smokey, Sunny, Sides and Ratchet here with me, so I'm safe."

A small smile crossed his face, "Indeed you are, little one. With that being said, we'll be in the briefing room. Just Comm. us if you need anything."

"Okay, Papa." She then watched her creators exit the Med Bay before she looked back at the twins and asked, "So what did you do to the Decepticons?"

"Well, Sunny and I took on one of the Seekers while your Uncle and creators dealt with the other two. We took him down with a little move we like to call 'Jet Judo', which means we climb up a cliffside or find some way to get on top of one of the Seekers when they're airborne, and we use our combined weight to bring them down while also inflicting damage to them. But we can't provide further details because we promised not to corrupt your processor." A smirk crossed his face, "But let's just say that we made sure that Con won't be flying for quite some time."

"Did you tear off his wings?" She curiously asked.

Smokescreen stepped over and gently rubbed the top of her helm, "And here we didn't want to tell you the graphics, yet you guessed the outcome."

A shrug was her response, "It was just the first thing that came to mind. As you all know, Seekers rely on their wings for flight and grounding one is the ultimate insult and punishment. I learned all this from Carrier because she was a medic and she wanted me to be well informed of such things."

The older Praxion gave his niece a smile, "Afterglow taught you well. But basically, yes, that's what happened."

"So much for not corrupting your processor," Sideswipe chuckled.

She shook her helm and smiled, "Oh no, I'm not corrupted. I'm just good at guessing things."

At her statement, Ratchet emitted a rare chuckle, "Clever femme." He went on with patching up the twins and repairing their mesh wounds, scratches and dents.

Filly was gently placed in Sunstreaker's lap where she hugged him and rested her helm on his chassis. The older twin wasn't one to openly show much affection, but he made the exception with Filly. He simply adored her and loved that she thought so highly of him and his brother. He gently hugged her and rubbed the top of her helm while she softly started to emit a purring sound, making him smirk.


	11. Chapter 11

"English"

::Comm. link::

_{Cybertronian}_

**[HUD notifications/scans]**

_::Bond conversations::_

:Speaker speech:

**"Intercom"**

_Memories/flashbacks/stasis_

_{:Ghost/apparition speech:}_

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just Filly and my other OC's)**

**(Authors Note: Hello dear readers, I am so sorry for not posting a new chapter sooner but I have been busy working on other projects as well as dealing with an emotional family crisis. Sadly, said crisis has kept me from focusing my attention on my writing. We recently had to put our baby girl (dog) to sleep. She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure that had also rapidly spread to her lungs, liver and kidneys. I've been on an emotional cyclone these last few days and it's been difficult to adjust to the emptiness that now plagues my heart and our household. She gave my family 11 years of joy, laughter and love and she will be terribly missed. This chapter is for you, little Molly. You now walk along the Rainbow Bridge and though we will miss your happy face, your cute liver nose, your trusting, soulful eyes, your night night nibbles/kisses on our fingers and the WoOoo, woOoo, WoOoo's of your disgruntled growling/barking directed at your brothers when they annoy you, we know you're no longer in pain or suffering with the ailments that plagued your little body. Rest in peace my little Molly. Know that you were deeply loved and will be greatly missed.)**

Chapter 11

-A week later-

Following the surprise attack from the Decepticon Seekers, Jazz and Prowl had decided to keep their youngling within the safety of the base until she received some upgrades or training that could further protect her from harm. While she would always have a guardian to accompany her outside, they knew she'd need another form of defense should she find herself separated from everyone else.

While Filly was too young to activate her weapons systems, Prowl and Jazz had agreed to allow her to learn basic servo-to-servo (hand-to-hand) combat from the twins. Their swift reflexes and fighting skills had saved them on multiple occasions during their combatant days in the gladiatorial pits of Kaon and they were happy to be passing their knowledge onto Filly.

At the moment, said femme was in the Lab with them, her Creators, Smokescreen, Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet while Wheeljack was working on a device that would provide her with an added layer of protection from Decpeticons. In an adorably cute voice, Filly asked, "Whatcha makin' Wheeljack?"

He peered up from his work table and smiled underneath his faceguard, "Well sparklet, I'm making you something that'll keep you safe from those nasty Cons. I hope you'll like it."

"Oh I'm sure I will if it's anything like your holoprojector. I know whatever you make will be amazing."

The scientist couldn't help the 'aww' sound that emitted from his vocalizer. He then looked over at the mechs standing nearby and huffed, "At least _someone_ appreciates my inventions and doesn't assume everything I make will explode."

That remark got most of them to smirk and laugh a little. It's true that many of his inventions had a tendency to explode while some, thankfully, weren't so dangerous. Regardless, Wheeljack was often referred to as a 'mad scientist', but it was always in good humor. "Aw Jack, you know we all appreciate your work," Smokescreen assured with a smile before picking his niece up and setting her on his shoulder so she could better see what Wheeljack was working on.

Within seconds, he finished his project and revealed it to the group. "Autobots, I give you the Gauntlet. With it, Filly will be able to activate a personal shield and block out any sort of frontal attacks made against her. Now, in order for her to activate it, she merely has to hold up her arm like so," he then attached the Gauntlet to his own arm and demonstrated it for the group. Upon doing so, a bright pinkish light appeared and formed a large shield in front of him. "Now, in order to test its full function, I'll need us to step outside and head over to the shooting range. But before we do, I have something I'd like to say," his optics curved into a smile as he looked over at the CMO, "Ratchet, I was the one who took your soldering iron and misplaced it."

His face turned into a scowl as he suddenly pulled a wrench from his subspace, "_YOU…"_ At his obvious response, Wheeljack activated the Gauntlet, to which the light shield immediately appeared and deflected the projectiled wrench, causing it to bounce off and land on the floor with a *CLANG*.

"And that, everyone, is how the Gauntlet is supposed to work, but I still need to test it out on the shooting range. I need to make sure it can withstand heavier firepower."

"Surely we can place it on a test dummy or a drone," Prowl stated. "There's no need to put yourself in danger."

"Ah, but it won't work on a non sentient being or object. I understand your concern, Prowl, but I need to test it. Of course, I do not wish to be on the receiving end of Ironhide's cannons when they're loaded with lethal ammunition, so I'll merely have him fire blanks at me for the time being. With luck, it'll work perfectly and then I can further test it out on heavier firepower. Once I determine that no further testing is needed, I'll get to work making one that will better accommodate Filly's smaller frame."

"So, that one isn't for Filly?" Sideswipe curiously asked.

He shook his helm, "Oh Primus no, this is just the prototype. I intend to make one for every Autobot, but before I do, I need to make sure it'll properly work. I wouldn't send her out equipped with something that was only in the early stages of testing. However, I do have one other gizmo, I had made a while ago, that will provide her with an added layer of protection. If nothing else, it'll help her escape should she find herself separated and in danger." He then pulled out a small, metallic ring and approached Smokescreen (who still had Filly perched on his shoulder), "Would you mind setting her down for me, please?"

He gave a nod and gently placed her on the floor, to which Wheeljack knelt before her and gave a kind smile from under his faceguard, "May I see your wrist for a moment, little one?"

Filly happily smiled and held out her arm, to which he then gently slipped the metal bangle over her servo and lightly tapped the side of it, allowing it to constrict in order to fit her smaller appendage. It was chrome colored and resembled one of those jewelry items human femmes (and some males) wore on their wrists. Bracelets are what they're called. "Oh, it's so pretty Wheeljack. What does it do?"

"Well my dear, why don't you tap the top of it and find out. I think you'll be surprised."

She did as instructed and tapped the top of the bangle, to which she suddenly became invisible. "I can't see my servos anymore, but I can still see all of you."

"Exactly as expected. You are now completely invisible to the naked optic. I was inspired to make this little device after studying Mirage's cloaking ability. I understand some Cybertronians naturally have this ability, but with you being the most vulnerable of our race, you needed something similar in order to give you a fighting chance of survival. Also, as an added bonus, it has a tiny yet powerful tracking device inside it, so if you ever get lost or Primus forbid, captured by the Decepticons, we can pinpoint your exact location from anywhere on Earth and rescue you."

"Wouldn't her energy signature be enough for us to find her?" Sunstreaker noted with a slight tilt of his helm.

Wheeljack shook his helm and glanced over at the yellow frontliner, "Sometimes our signatures can be masked by large influxes of outside interference or covered up if we're in a highly secure location or too far underground. If she were somehow captured, the Decepticons would likely keep her confined within their base so her signature would be completely hidden from us." He then looked over at her creators, "I made this device with the two of you in mind. I figured you both would recharge easier knowing your little femme would be found no matter where she was being held."

"Thanks, Wheeljack. You've certainly put our processors at ease knowin' our baby girl is safer than she already is."

"Agreed," the SIC relaxed his doorwings, indicating his relief. "I now feel confident enough to allow her to freely wander the base without worrying about where she may have stumbled into," he gave Filly a knowing wink which made her happily smile and flutter her winglets as she sent him and Jazz an array of loving vibes through their bond.

Said youngling looked up at the scientist and hugged his leg, "Thank you for making these things for me, Wheeljack. I really appreciate all the hard work and thought you put into them."

"Aww, anytime sparklet," he gently rubbed the top of her helm, making her purr slightly.

Optimus stepped forward and stated, "Your inventions will certainly prove useful to our young femme and our fellow Autobots, Wheeljack. If there's any materials or supplies you require, please feel free to inform me and I will do what I can to provide them to you."

"That's mighty dandy of ya, Optimus, but at the moment I've got what I need. It'll take some time to craft a Gauntlet for each Autobot, but I believe I can finish the project within a few months or so, provided the tests meet all of my expectations and yours."

"I have faith in your abilities, but I will gladly oversee further demonstrations."

"As will I," Prowl noted with a tip of his helm and straightened out his doorwings.

"Me too," Jazz chimed in while sending a loving pulse to his sparkmate, which caused the SIC to faintly smile even though he was trying to remain professional.

"Alright then. Shall we continue this demonstration outside? I'm sure Ironhide is itching to fire some blank rounds at me considering how horribly I beat him at cards the other night."

"You bet your aft, er, I mean, backside…," the weapons specialist then looked over at Filly, "Don't say that word, sparklet."

She smiled and made a zipping motion over her mouth with her digits, "My lip plates are sealed, Uncle Hide."

He emitted a chuckle at the new title she gave him. It was sparkwarming to know she thought so highly of him. While Prowl and Jazz were not fond of his use of profound language in front of their daughter, they appreciated that he pointed out his mistake. Honestly, he was a great role model for any Autobot to follow, but his language was a bit colorful at times. Though he was a tough and intimidating mech, Filly brought out his tender side. What a softie he pretended not to be.


	12. Chapter 12

"English"

::Comm. link::

_{Cybertronian}_

**[HUD notifications/scans]**

_::Bond conversations::_

:Speaker speech:

**"Intercom"**

_Memories/flashbacks/stasis_

_{:Ghost/apparition speech:}_

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just Filly and my other OC's)**

**(Authors Note: Hello dearest readers. Sorry for the wait and sorry for the sad note on my last chapter. I was emotionally wrecked and depressed, but thankfully I'm doing better and healing slowly but surely. I hope you guys are still enjoying the story thus far because it is becoming more enjoyable for me and I am so delighted at how it's turning out. Please feel free to read and review. In the meantime, stay safe, stay calm and stay positive.)**

Chapter 12

Filly was currently outside, across from the shooting range and sitting on Jazz's lap as she and several other Autobots watched Wheeljack test out the Gauntlet against Ironhide's aim.

Not wanting to risk severe or fatal injury in case something went wrong, the weapons specialist was advised to use blanks for the time being. After a few minutes of successful testing, Wheeljack signaled for Ironhide to cease fire, to which he messaged him via Comm. link, ::So far, the Gauntlet seems to be deflecting your attacks. Perhaps we should bring out one of the training drones and have it fire a few live rounds to see how it'll hold up against them.::

::Very well. I'll inform the boss of your change in plans.:: He then sent Optimus a Comm. link message, ::Hey Prime, Wheeljack is wanting to test live rounds now. I'm going to bring out the training drone to fire at him. I just thought you should be notified first.::

He responded, ::I appreciate the notice, old friend. Just be sure to set the drone to the lowest attack setting for the time being. If Wheeljack's invention can't withstand a live round, we cannot allow him to come to harm should something go amiss. If it is successful, then the settings can be gradually increased. However, you should have him test its durability against a variety of melee attacks first before moving on to live ammunition.::

::Can do, Prime.:: He then ended the link with Optimus and relayed the message to Wheeljack who agreed to test the Gauntlet's durability against melee attacks before moving onto live ammo. With that, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were 'volunteered' to spar against Wheeljack to further test his invention.

XXXXX

After almost half an hour of testing and multiple Autobots stepping up to try their hand at breaking the Gauntlet's barrier, the weather started to turn. The sky darkened and rain started to fall. At first, it was just a light drizzle, but within minutes, it got steadily worse and forced everyone back inside the base where it was warm and dry.

At the moment, Filly was downloading the necessary programming needed to create her own holoform...with adult supervision of course. Prowl and Jazz were there to assist her with the process and after the download was complete, they watched as she transformed into her alt mode and activated her holoform.

Within nanoseconds, there was a static sound followed by a bright blue light as the holoform took shape and became a solid mass. Moments later, a tiny human girl stood before the SIC and TIC. She looked to be about six years old and was fair skinned with adorable freckles on her rosy cheeks, bright blue eyes, curly orangish red hair (that was pulled up in two adorable pigtails), and a gap-toothed smile across her sweet face. She was a bit on the short/scrawny side by human standards, but was otherwise healthy looking. Her attire consisted of a yellow long sleeve shirt, a pair of denim overalls, little white tennis shoes on her feet and a pair of monarch butterfly wings on her back. In short, she was adorable.

"Ooooh Filly, you're SOOO cute!" Jazz cooed at her adorableness. "Prowler, doesn't our baby girl look precious as a human?"

He lightly chuckled, "Indeed she does. Of course she's precious-looking no matter what form she's in." He then knelt down and lightly rubbed the top of the holoform's head with his index digit, making her giggle.

"Papa, Baba, can I test out my holoform among the humans sometime? I'd like to visit one of those 'parks' I've heard about."

They shared a look for a moment before Jazz knelt down in front of her, "Tell ya what sweetspark: you use yer holoform for at least three hours a day everyday for the next week to get accustomed to it. If you can manage keepin' your holoform up for that length of time an' if the weather is nice an' there ain't no Con. activity happenin', then yer Sire an' I will gladly take ya yo the park. And if ya want, we can see if Bee an' Blue would wanna join us, seeing as how they didn't get the chance to do so the last time we went out with ya. Apparently, they didn't get back from their mission until after we fought off those nasty Cons."

"Well, Decepticons aside, I still enjoyed our outing," she smiled. "Though it would have been even better if Bee and Blue were there. I like playing with them."

"Aw, I'll be sure to tell 'em that," he grinned and gently rubbed her holoform's head.

"You know, it's so strange that I can experience all my senses with this holoform. I feel like I'm walking around in someone else's body, even though this body isn't actually real but rather composed of light given mass. I'm now curious as to what all I can do with this form."

"Well, from what we've learned over the last few decades living among humans, we can consume organic material in our holorforms and convert it into energy to sustain our false bodies for longer periods of time. Hound conducted a study almost an Earth year ago, in which he headed into the wild and activated his holoform in order to see how long he could keep it active. According to his results, as long as we consume one serving of organic material a day and avoid injuries, then we can keep the holoform up for as long as we desire," Prowl stated.

"Why would we need to avoid injuries if the holoform is made of light?"

Jazz smiled at her and replied, "They may be made of light, but they're still a part of us, sweetspark. If our holoform is damaged, we feel the pain even though our true forms may not show any signs of injury. Plus, an injured holoform consumes more energy to maintain because our programming naturally wants to heal it or phase it out in order to project a new one, but if we're among humans, we can't simply 'vanish' right in front of them or else they'll freak out."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." She looked down at her tiny human hands and touched her skin, "Oh, so soft...Are humans always this soft?"

Both mechs chuckled before Prowl answered, "Not always, but from what I understand, the younger ones are softer and squishier. Human infants are similar to bitlets and sparklings in terms of 'softness'."

She pondered this for a moment before touching her head, feeling the texture of her hair, "Oh, even softer! I'm so soft!" She was giddy with glee as she touched her rosy, freckled cheeks and admired how squishy they were. "I wanna see your holoforms. Can I? Pweeeease?" She gave them an adorable 'puppy-eyed' look that overwhelmed their processors with cuteness.

With adoring smiles on their faces, Prowl and Jazz gave each other a look before transforming into their alternative forms and activating their holoforms. Prowl's was of a tall, well-toned, cacuasian male of 39 years with short, brown hair, dark blue eyes, a clean shaven face, cleft chin, high cheekbones, and a handsome smile. His attire consisted of a typical police uniform which covered the majority of his body, but left most of his arms exposed as it was short-sleeved.

Jazz's holoform was of an average height, dark-skinned male of 37 years with short, curly black hair, a well-trimmed goatee, a blue visor over his eyes, round cheeks and a warm smile. He wore a white v-neck t-shirt, dark jeans, black and white Nike tennis shoes, and a vintage-looking silver and blue sports jacket.

Filly's eyes widened as she looked upon her creators with an adoring gap-toothed smile across her face, "Oh you two look so amazing! I mean, you already were, but this is completely new and different to me, which makes it even more amazing!"

"Aw, I'm glad ya think so, sweetspark," Jazz chuckled and picked her up before kissing her cheek, making her giggle as his goatee tickled her face.

Filly responded by placing both of her little hands on his cheeks and giving him a gentle squish, "You're so squishy, Baba."

"Well if ya think I'm squishy, ya should feel yer Papa's face. He's pretty squishy too," he gave Prowl a wink, which made the SIC straighten his posture a tad bit. If he had his doorwings in this form, they would have twitched and arched slightly upwards.

Filly looked over at Prowl's holoform and reached for him, making cute grabby hands as a way of saying 'Pick me up.' Naturally, he couldn't resist such an adorable gesture. He gently took a hold of her and lightly chuckled when she gave his cheeks a gentle squish. "Oh, Baba was right, you're squishy too, Papa. And so warm," she hugged his neck and snuggled into him, enjoying the warmth he was producing.

Jazz suddenly wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged him from behind, "Baby girl's right, Prowler: you are warm." He then chuckled, "Ya know, I would normally get bumped by yer doorwings if I did this to ya in our true forms."

He faintly smirked, "Yes, you would...especially if you surprised me. Thankfully, I have control over their movements… Most of the time." He suddenly froze as Jazz kissed the center of his back. "I would kindly ask that you refrain from doing that."

"Oh come on, dearspark, I'm just enjoying the moment. We rarely use our holoforms anyway."

*sigh* "Very well," he relaxed at his touch and smiled as he felt him nuzzle into his back.

Meanwhile, Filly was giggling at their adorable banter before she finally asked, "Can I show my holoform to the others? I wanna surprise them."

"Alright, sweetspark. Lead the way," Prowl stated and gently placed her on the floor.

She smiled and shook her head, "Nope. You and Baba should spend some quality time together. I'll be fine on my own for a little while. Besides, I can tell you two want to interphase with how you've been acting towards one another," she giggled, making both of her creators' faces heat up as they shared a knowing look.

It's true: they did want to interphase. There was no denying that Filly could read them like a book. Clever femme.

Jazz crossed his arms and raised a brow before asking, "Do ya promise to Comm. us if ya need help?"

She gave a nod, "Yep! But don't worry: I've got an entire base full of Autobots who would assist me if I required help. Besides, I'm just going to the recreational room for a little while and I know where that's located. Aaaand, don't forget, Wheeljack gave me this wrist thingy with the tracker inside it," she held up her tiny wrist which was adorned with a replica of the metal bangle Wheeljack made for her. "So even if my signature is scrambled by the Ark's advanced security field, you can still locate me...as well as contact me through the bond."

Prowl fondly smirked and gently rubbed the top of her soft, little head, "You're such a clever little femme."

She happily smiled up at him, "I'm only as clever as my creators."

"Aw, baby girl," Jazz knelt down and hugged her.

Filly gave both of her creators a loving hug before climbing into her alt form and driving off towards the recreational room to find Bumblebee and Bluestreak, leaving Jazz and Prowl to their desires.


End file.
